Life Will Be Life
by Virgoincarnate
Summary: Mai-HiME/My-Otome AU Crossover. Shizuru and the rest of our favorite HiMEs and Otomes suddenly find themselves allied with a young foreigner that she ends up buying out of slavery to save them. How will they're lives change now? Shiznat and others.
1. Chapter 1

**Life Will Be Life**

Disclaimer: I do not own My-HiME or My-Otome Sunrise owns the franchise. This fic is nonprofit.

Warnings: Girl/Girl romance, some cussing, _possible_ mature content, most likely some violence. Don't like then get out cause I don't give a damn about you or you're narrow-minded views of the world.

As for the rest of you, thank you for being open minded and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

* * *

Chapter 1

The palace of Fuka was very beautiful, built of all white stone in an architectural style that was both breathtaking and tasteful. The interior of the palace was designed with a similar theme in mind in that every square inch of the palace was both fashionable and functional. Everywhere one looked one could always find the national colors of Fuka proudly displayed in an elegant manner. Orange, blue, red, tan, and black were arranged in intricate patterns all over the palace. The landscape outside the palace also kept to the same feel as the interior with large picturesque gardens and lush forest with a surround white stonewall to serve as protection against an attack.

As for the nation itself, all was well as could be for the annual Conference was fast approaching. The Conference is a meeting of sorts between Fuka and it's sister nation, the Queendom of Garderobe and the Archduchy of Schwartz, in which diplomats negotiated with each other over various matters of international significance. Fuka unlike Garderobe is not a Queendom but a Principality and is neither small nor poor when compared to the other countries. The negotiations themselves were nothing new as they were an annual event that helped to strengthen Fuka's peaceful relationship with Garderobe.

Unfortunately the same sort of sentiments cannot be said for Fuka's relationship with Schwartz with whom they share a shaky sort of unofficial peace. The Archduke of Schwartz Nagi Dai Artai is a shifty fellow that no one is quick to trust no matter what is said by either side. The only good thing that could be said about Schwartz is that there have been no battles between Schwartz and either of the other two monarchies in three years at least.

The armies that each realm possessed were not what made a battle so devastating, what made each confrontation so disastrous were the main Guardian forces of each sovereignty. Fuka had the HiME Sentai, for Garderobe it was the Otome, and in Schwartz's case they depended on the Valkyries. The HiMEs are the oldest elite strickforce to have existed. The Otomes themselves are merely an advanced version of sorts of the original HiMEs while the Valkyries are just an upgrade Otome of sorts. Yet despite their differences not one of the three warrioress groups has ever proven to be stronger than the other. Another thing these special units shared in common was the fact that only the first-born girl of a noble family could become a sentry for their country. Though the number of members often varied between each.

The HiME Sentai is six members strong and though they are few in numbers they are more than enough to defend Fuka and it's Crown Princess, Fumi Himeno. The team is comprised of: Natsuki Kruga, Mikoto Minagi, Nao Yuuki, Yukino Kikukawa, Akira Okuzaki, and their leader Midori Suguira. Each girl is able to weald an Element and summon a Child to fight alongside them should a battle break out between the HiME and an enemy of Fuka. Natsuki's Child is Duran, Mikoto has Miroku, Nao's Child is called Julia, while Yukino's Child is Diana, Akira's Child is Gennai and Midori works with Gakutenou.

There are also just six Otomes and like their HiME counterparts the small number of fighters is perfectly sufficient for Garderobe's protection. Shizuru Fujiola is the leader of the Otomes along with Haruka Suzushiro; Mai Tokiha and Chie Hallard are also Otomes along with Nina Wang and Erstin Ho. Shizuru's GEM is the Bewitching Smile Amethyst, Haruka's is the Topaz of the Jewel Isle, Mai has the Fire Stirring Ruby, Chie's GEM is known as the Mystic Rumor Morganite, Nina possesses the Neptune Emerald, and Erstin uses the Rainbow Cloud Rhodonite. The six of them have a contract with Garderobe's Queen, Mashiro Kazahana.

The Valkyries are fewer in number than the others but they still manage to watch over Schwartz. Tomoe Marguerite is the lead Valkyrie followed by: Lee Mae, Noel, and Jan all for of which us the same type of GEM the Obsidians of the Darkness. They serve the Archduke of Schwartz.

The three great sovereignties are not the only countries in this world for there is several Free Nations which stand separately from the monarchies. These Free Nations exist in a constant state of anarchy and poverty. Several attempts to help them have been made by both Fuka and Garderobe while Schwartz has made every attempt to conquer them. Yet every time the Free Nations have rebelled to the point where war seemed inevitable.

In a last ditch effort Queen Mashiro had sent an Ambassador of Garderobe to the Free Nations in the hopes that some chance for a peaceful alliance can be found…

.

1 Month Later

It was the final day of the week long Conference and all the major dignitaries and nobles were gathered within Fuka Palace as they chattered aimlessly while they waited for the nights festivities to get underway. For while the Conferences main purpose was to improve and strengthen the relationships between the countries it was also treated as a makeshift celebration in which a large variety of exotic entertainment is provided.

Shizuru Fujiola stood dutifully by her young Queen as Mashiro sat and spoke with Crown Princess Fumi. Rena Sayers stood next to her behind Mashiro as the Queen's personal attendant for the night.

Glancing across the floor, Shizuru caught sight of Elliot Chandler who was nearly surrounded by various dignitaries, completely engrossed in some sort of discussion.

"_Well, not completely engrossed." _Shizuru mused after catching the fleeting glance the young Ambassador threw their way. At the age of thirty-three she was a fully accomplish Meister Otome, a well-known and respected noblewomen, and the Ambassador for Garderobe. The two of them were not exactly close friends but she knew more than enough about Elliot and her history.

The Chandler family was a sub branch of the house of Ho making Elliot the elder second cousin of Erstin Ho. Despite being second cousins the two females looked remarkably alike as both shared the characteristics of the females of their extended family, although there were some obvious and not so obvious differences between the two. Erstin was considered the ideal woman. She was demur and domestic, polite and friendly, beautiful but intelligent, and possessed a figure like no other with a bust that could rival even Mai's. Elliot on the other hand, though beautiful in her own right, was graced with a more modest frame. And while she was just as polite in her speech as Erstin she tended to speak in an informal and masculine style, a particular trait she had picked up from her father Ellian Chandler who had raised her alone since she was three when her mother died. Where as Erstin spoke in a definitively feminine style and almost always formally. Not that either of them ever minded such differences.

Another thing that the cousins shared in common was an attraction to dark haired women. Erstin harbored a long-standing crush on her fellow Guardian and childhood friend Nina Wang. Elliot herself was rather hopelessly in love with her childhood friend Rena Sayers an ex-Otome and the personal maidservant to the queen. While both of them were equally hopeless in their one sided loves their situations were entirely different. Nina was seventeen, just a year older than Erstin, she had yet to date anyone and her family had deigned to allow her to choose her own life mate. But Nina was oblivious to Erstin's feelings since the younger girl never spoke of them to her. Rena on the other hand was the thirty-four year old single mother of a little girl, four year old Arika Yumemiya. Arika's father had been an archeologist named Shiro, who had run off to the Free Nations and had been killed in a fight before Arika was born. Rena was more than aware of Elliot's affections for her, but did not return them in kind although that never stopped her from reminding the young Ambassador that she cared for her.

Elliot had been heartsick when she realized that Rena was pregnant. But, like a true friend, she had dutifully spent all of her free time comforting the grieving Rena and had even been present for Arika's birth. Looking at Arika sometimes made her heartache but she never blamed the child herself. To be honest she loved the little girl in the same way that an aunt wouldl love a niece. It was just that Arika looked so much like her father with her red hair and she also had Rena's startlingly blue eyes. Luckily that had done little to hinder her from babysitting whenever she could.

Shizuru smiled lightly as she turned her attention elsewhere and scanned the crowd again before spotting the object of her own fascination. The eldest daughter of the house of Kruga haled from the northern most region of Fuka where her family resided. A loner and a rebel, always quick to glare and slow to smile, she was a dark and brooding creature said to be as beautiful as Artemis herself while possessing one of the most frigid personalities she has ever seen. She was Shizuru's opposite in every way possible.

Having been born and raised in the southern most province of Garderobe in her families home Shizuru was the only child of Shizuka and Yuzuru Fujiola. Sociable, polite, and elegant, forever the perfect lady, Shizuru always wore a smile on her face in almost everything she did. Many had even likened her to Aphrodite for Shizuru had a beauty that could send both men _and_ women to their knees in awe.

Movement caught her eye and turning she recognized Tomoe Marguerite, one of her least favorite fans. Luckily Chie Hallard was also there so the boyishly charming Otome would be able to distract Tomoe for a short time, though she suspected Chie would eventually disappeared with Aoi Senoh, one of the palace maids here in Fuka.

Shizuru glanced about once more, easily picking out the other HiMEs who were standing guard. She had gotten the chance to speak with Yukino Kikukawa earlier who was just as shy as always but had managed to ask after Haruka. Haruka Armitage was Shizuru's second in command and although Haruka is hotheaded she always means well no matter what. She noticed Nao Yuuki talking with some of the nobles of Schwartz, while Akira Okuzaki seemed less than inclined to talk as she hid away in a corner.

Mikoto Minagi was chatting happily with Mai Tokiha, the young HiME had meet the busty Otome at an official event some years before and had been quit taken by the cheerful redhead almost instantly. If asked how she truly felt about the elder Otome the cat-like girl would simply say that she loved Mai with such a childish innocence that many often wondered whether or not the petite girl really comprehended what she was saying. Shizuru on the other hand more often pondered which it was that the innocent girl loved more, Mai or Mai's cooking. After all, the fiery Otome's cooking skills were considered legendary even amoung chefs. Midori Suguira was proving, by far of course, to be the most sociable of the HiME Sentai as she loudly prattled on about the lack of alcohol and excitement as well as a need for the HiMEs and Otomes to hangout more if given the chance.

At that moment a man separated himself from the rest of the crowd, and after offering a quick bow proceeded to call attention to himself.

"Forgive the interruption, but if you're all ready the performers are prepared to begin." His announcement was met with much applause as he signaled for the entertainers to start their show.

A heavy set man slowly waddled forward, his large girth swathed in layer upon layers of fine fabric, a physical sign of prosperity, he was the showmaster. Bowing excessively to the crowd as he moved, a fairly impressive accomplishment considering his weight. Then turning he waved for several brightly dressed performers to come forward and begin.

The acts were much like those that one might have seen at a festival. First came a trio of agile acrobats. Then came a set of dancers. Followed by an animal act with wolves, tigers, bears, an eagle, and a huge snake. After that a quartet of jugglers came out. Each performance had been accompanied by a band of musicians.

Just when it seemed to be the end, one last entertainer came forward. A beautiful young woman of at least twenty-something wearing a sensual Gypsy costume sashayed her way to the center of the floor in time to a low ardurous drum beat. She moved smoothly and naturally, carrying herself with a steady flowing grace that never wasted even so much as an ounce of energy. Within seconds of starting her dance she took up song, a song that was no more than the simple flow of wordless notes that was none the less incredibly beautiful. Her hypnotic movements combined with the elegant song in such a way that it left her audience completely entranced.

Shizuru was, of course, one of the few unaffected and took a moment to look about at the rest of the audience. As one might expect a great many of the men were staring in almost outright desire as they watched the dancer move. Even some of the women seemed to be somewhat excited by her display.

But of all the observers the one who seemed most affected was Masashi Takeda, a nobleman of Garderobe and a famous swordsman. Takeda was blatantly _drooling_ over the dancer. Shizuru's gaze soon wondered to Natsuki who was watching the act with stoic indifference as expected.

All too soon the dance was done, her song was ended, and the spell was broken. Only silence reigned for a short eternity. Then the room erupted into thunderous applause with impassioned demands for an encore. The dancer flushed lightly as she tried to bow her way out while several obvious fans moved forward to swarm her.

The wide man from before moved forward to try and assist the girl but to no avail. The sounds of a commotion drifted in from outside and the next moment two large men walked in dragging a small struggling figure between them, a third man followed behind carrying a long black bundle. They came to a stop just a short ways from the showmaster.

The showmaster bristled up at the sight of them. "What in the world do you think you're--?"

"He was caught fighting again." The man on the right interrupted.

"We figured it would be best to get him sorted out now rather than later." The man on the left offered.

"I see." Said the showmaster, then turning to the smaller figure. "Take him outside, I'll deal with him later." He turned back to the audience as the men went back outside. "I beg your pardon for that terrible interruption! Please! Pay it no mind and allow us to make it up to you!"

Raucous applause answered him at that and he quickly motioned for more performers to begin. The show continued after that and lasted well into the night. It seemed that the incident had been forgotten.

.

Natsuki was bored.

Actually, bored was an understatement. As of now, watching grass grow would have seemed exciting. She thought about going to find one of the other HiMEs to do something, but unfortunately she got along with only a few of them. Midori was ridiculous, Nao was annoying, Akira rarely ever interacted with any of them, and while Yukino was intelligent she was often too shy for her own good. Mikoto was the only one who she liked at least a little, but she was currently following Mai around like love struck a kitten. So her only choice now was to wander around aimlessly.

Unfortunately many of the conference guests were still walking about Fuka Palace and in large groups at that. She had gone outside in the hopes of avoiding most of them. She soon found herself wondering through the part of the palace grounds where the performers had set up a temporary camp. She allowed herself to be distracted looking about at some of the curious items hanging off of the caravans that they used for housing. A soft and accented voice suddenly roused her from her musings.

"Having fun?"

Looking up she caught sight of a familiar figure.

"Shizuru! What are you doing out here?"

"Ara! I could ask you the same thing."

"I was bored."

"So it seems."

"Why are you out here?"

"Isn't it a lovely night?"

"Well, yeah I guess if you like this kind of thing."

"Shall we walk together? It may be better than wandering around on ones own."

"Sure."

They continued on together all the while talking about anything that came to mind.

Natsuki was starting to enjoy herself when she heard something.

"Did you hear that?" She asked.

"_Hai_." Shizuru replied.

"Let's check it out."

They moved towards the last caravan where the sounds seemed to be coming from. Now that they were closer she could make out low voices.

"Well boy, what do you have to say for yourself?"

They moved toward the back end of the caravan where she thought the voice was coming from. There, behind the caravan, stood five figures. Two large men stood holding down a smaller darker figure in front of the fat showmaster, while a third stood beside him holding a lng black bundle that was about half as tall as him.

"_Shine, decchiri!_" Snarled the small person as the two men continued to hold him down.

"You watch your mouth when you speak to me boy! You, give me that thing!" The third man came forward quickly and handed the now red faced showmaster the large bundle.

"_Temee-ra_, don't touch that! He's mine damnit! Give him back!"

"I think not. You see, this, is my property now. Just like you."

"Like hell, you fat piece of shit! You don't own me yet and you sure as hell don't own that!"

"That's not what your mother said when she sold you to me." The showmaster nodded to the third man who stepped forward with his hand raised high, holding a thin stick.

"You son of a--!" The boy was cut off as the stick was cracked down on his back. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. The other two men suddenly joined in and all three of them began to beat the smaller figure who continued to swear and struggle but it was all in vain.

"Hey!" Natsuki yelled as she and Shizuru dashed forward to stop them.

The boy struck one of the men across the face and he fell back. He leapt up at the showmaster but was struck down by the man with the stick just as he got a hold of the dark bundle.

"Just what the hell do you think your doing?" Natsuki demanded.

"My lady, please do not concern yourself with him. This boy--"

"Let him go!"

"But, my lady--"

"I suggest you let the boy go now, sir. Otherwise we'll be forced to call the guards and arrest you all." Shizuru spoke with a quiet seriousness that was enough to almost make Natsuki shiver. And what's more, she said it with that small nonchalant smile on her face.

"B-But I--?"

"Now."

"Release him." He told the men.

They hesitated unwilling to let their victim go.

"NOW!"

They immediately got off of the boy who struggled to stand, desperately reaching out for the bundle.

"_K-ken… Kaishite… Chichiue-sama no ken… kaishite…_" He passed out just as he finally managed to grasp the bundle.

* * *

**AN**

_Shine decchiri _- "Go die, fat ass!" Or at least that's how I've heard it translated.

_Ken _- "Sword"

_Kaishite _- "Return it"

_Chichiue _- "Honorable father" Or at least that's how I've heard it.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sorry about the confusion with Natsuki's and Shizuru's last names but it makes more sense to me like that.

As for the Japanese translations, I make no claim on being an expert on the language at all although I do love it. If any of you see a mistake, please feel free to correct me as it will be a huge help.

Now, on to the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy it!

*Had to edit this chapter again since I've decided to just continue from where I left off in the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2

Yohko Helene sat in the infirmary of The Palace of Fuka quietly examining her latest patient. Normally, she would have been working in her own familiar work place back in Garderobe Palace, but this was a special case.

Her patient was a young boy who looked to be no older than 9 or 10 at the most. She had stripped him down to his underclothes in order to better reach the injuries he had acquired during a beating from the night before. Luckily the wounds hadn't been too serious merely consisting of several dark bruises on his upper torso and a mild concussion on the back of his head.

The boy had light fuzzy hair that was cut so short it stood up on end. He had light tan skin that marked him as a native of the Free Nations as it would be considered unual when compared to a resident of Garderobe or Fuka and especially when compared to a native of Schwartz. The dark color of his skin also made the white scars that covered his body even more obvious than normal.

Glancing to the side she saw the strange bundle he had fought so desperately to reclaim. It was currently leaning up against the wall next to the bed in which the boy lay, still wrapped up in it's black silk bindings. The boy had called it a 'ken' or sword but what kind Yohko didn't know. It was at least 3½ feet long and the boy himself was only just over 4 feet tall. Unlike most swords It was almost perfectly straight except for a slight curving towards the bottom of the blade.

Returning her attention back to the boy she thought on how he had come into her care.

It had been impossible to ignore the sounds of distant shouting that had drifted in from outside and several of the HiMEs and Otomes respectively had gone out to investigate it. Mai and Mikoto, who had gone outside together, had soon come run back in and reported that Natsuki was currently holding the showmaster at gunpoint while a boy lay bleeding on the ground.

Yohko had been with a drunken Midori trying to keep an eye on her. Yet it had taken Midori less than a minute to sober up when she heard the report. In the blink of an eye Midori had issued orders to the remaining members of the HiMEs Sentai and in no time they had found themselves outside where an enraged Natsuki was threatening the now red-faced showmaster while an eerily calm Shizuru carefully checked the status of an unknown boy on the ground.

"He is my property, you cannot have him!" The showmaster was yelling.

Natsuki was almost as red-faced as the showmaster as she stood glaring at him and the three men behind him with glacial fury. "He's a human being, not an animal! What the hell did you think you were doing beating him?!"

"He's mine, I can do with him as I will!"

"He's not your damn property!"

"I bought him fair and square you--!"

The showmaster was suddenly cut off by Shizuru's soft interjection.

"Then you will not object to selling him if he is 'yours' as you so claim him to be."

"Wha--?"

"Shizuru! What are you--?"

Shizuru did not answer but instead continued to stare at the fat man with a deadly calm face all the while smiling nonchalantly.

"Y-You could not possibly hope to pay me what I paid for him!" Sputtered the flabbergasted showmaster.

"Name your price, I assure you that I can pay it."

"You cannot--!"

"Five hundred." Shizuru said calmly.

"That-that 'thing' of his is worth more than my own caravan and everything inside of it combined!"

"One thousand."

The large man licked his lips. "He's a Rogue, a half-bred savage. One such as him is capable of carry twice the weight that a man twice his size could carry!"

"Two thousand."

"H-his f-father was a crime lord who ruled over the Central Territories! He was wanted all throughout the whole Free Nations! H-he-- he--" He was sweating profusely now.

"Three thousand."

"SOLD!" Howled the showmaster, his beady little eyes glittering greedily.

"That includes his 'ken' of course?" Shizuru asked standing.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course, whatever you desire! Just please, give me that money! I beg of you!"

Shizuru nodded before turning to where they all stood staring at her in various states of shock.

"Yohko-_sensei_, could you please take care of him? He's not fatally wounded but he is injured."

"_Hai_."

"Mai-_han_, could you and Mikoto-_han_ please give her a hand?"

"_Hai_, Fujiola-_San_." Mai signal for one of the male guards that had followed them to help by carrying the boy for them, then followed him inside alongside Yohko.

"Erstin-_han_, please go and find Elliot-_han_, I need to speak with her right away."

"_Hai!_"

"Chie-_han_?"

"_Hai?_" The boyish Otome replied stepping forward.

"Please tell Mashiro-_sama_ what has happened."

"_Rokai_."

Yohko had lost track of what happened after that as she concentrated on healing the boy. Once they were certain that he would be fine Mai had gone off to the kitchens to prepare something for the boy to eat when he wakes. Mikoto had run off to report to Midori and Natsuki as well, leaving Yohko alone for a time.

"How is he?" A husky voice asked from behind her.

Turning Yohko spotted Natsuki standing in the doorway.

"He's fine, just some ugly bruises and a minor concussion. He should wake up in a few hours."

The dark haired HiME nodded and then they lapsed into a dull silence as Yohko continued checking the boy over.

"What the hell was she thinking?"

"Pardon?"

"Shizuru. What could she possibly want to buy that boy for? What is she going to do with him now? He can't be much older than Alyssa for the gods' sake!"

Oh, so that's how it was. Natsuki had a younger sister, Alyssa Kruga who herself was only 11. Natsuki obviously was upset by seeing a child her sisters age being treated so poorly by a terrible greedy man and then being bought by someone who she might possibly see as a friend and equal.

"I'm certain Shizuru only has the best intentions in mind. Perhaps it was her only option."

"I could have just beat that fat-ass up."

"Then you might have gotten in trouble."

"But--!"

Yohko turned to Natsuki in the hopes of getting her point across better. "Whatever it is that Shizuru intends to do, it can only be for the best. She is not the kind of person to let a child suffer while there is anything to be done about it."

"Maybe."

"Certainly."

"If you say so." Was Natsuki's sullen reply.

Yohko turned back to the boy but a sudden thought occurred to her.

"So, how exactly do you know Fujiola-_San_?"

"Eh? Oh, well, we met when we were younger."

"Oh? How young?"

"I think we were 12."

"And why is it that you met each other at all, let alone when you were 12?"

"Shizuru's family is as old as my family is, and both of our families have always made an effort to be familiar with as many of the older more traditional families as possible. Our parents introduced us at a party that my family was hosting and we were encouraged to keep in touch even after that."

"I see, so you are not actually friends then?"

"I didn't say that."

"Yet you didn't say that you are friends either."

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"So, are you friends with Fujiola-_San_?"

"You could say that." Natsuki said evasively, folding her arms.

"I see." Yohko replied standing. "Well, the boy is relatively sound now, and if you would excuse me I need to get him redressed."

"Oh, sure."

Once the icy HiME had left Yohko shut the door then went to retrieve the clothes for the boy. Unfortunately, the boy's original clothes had been torn in several places and so they would need to be repaired or, better yet, replaced. The only thing to have survived was the _sarashi _he wore beneath his clothes. Rather than remove it all together she had replace the old bandages with new wrappings. She slipped a pair of spare white pants on him as a substitute for his actual clothes then she left to fetch some new clothes to replace his old ones, closing the door behind her.

But unbenounced to Yohko, a dark figure had been creeping through the hallways headed toward the infirmary. Upon reaching the door some minutes after Yohko had left they slowly opened it in perfect silence until they could comfortably fit through it then slipped inside. They had one goal in mind and one goal only. To find something and take it for their own.

Stealthily they crept forward toward the bed where the known boy still lay partially naked save for the white hospital pants he now wore. Reaching behind their back the figure slowly drew out a small knife. They raised it high over their heads in preparation to strike. But just as they were about to bring their hand down in a devastating blow a pair of burning light brown eyes slowly opened and focused on the figure.

A sudden bellow made itself heard all throughout the palace jarring the inhabitants from their hazy thoughts.

"_SHINE YO!_"

* * *

**AN**

_Hai_ - An affirmative word meaning "Yes" "Okay" "Sure" and the like.

_Sama_ - A Japanese honorific of great respect which you might compare to "Grace" "Majesty" "Honor" or what not.

_San_ - A gender-neutral Japanese honorific equivalent to "Mr." "Ms." "Mrs."

_Han_- The Kyoto-ben or Kyoto dialect version of _San._

_Rokai_ - Same as _Hai_ but more like "Roger" or "Roger that" Also pronounced as "Yokai"

_Shine yo _- I think this means "Die!" in one way or another though I'm not totally sure.

_Sarashi - _A _sarashi_ is a long, winding strip of cloth, usually thick cotton, wrapped tightly around the midriff up to the chest. Historically worn under kimono both by Samurai (to resist injury) and by women for more "obvious" reasons, particularly in eras where a slim figure was viewed as fashionable.


	3. Chapter 3

Majorly sorry for taking so long for to update this story, life's been kinda hectic lately and this isn't the only story I'm working on I've also got one on fiction press as well as a new one I've just started to write.

Also Characters may be OC mostly cause it's really hard to capture their personalities correctly.

Anyways, here's the next chap! Hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter 3

"SHINE YO!"

The warcry like shout reverberated throughout the palace. Several of the HiMEs and Otomes came running to the infirmary. The sight that greeted them was not what they expected.

Two boys stood in the hallway grappling with each other. One was the youth they had saved earlier and the other was a stranger to them all.

A tall boy of pale complexion struggled against the smaller boy in what looked like an attempt to overpower him. Shaggy black hair spilled over his face in a haphazard way and he had deep black eyes and grinned crazily at the smaller boy. The pale boy wore an all green gakuran with a ridiculously long jacket woren open over his sarashi covered torso. His face was a mass of dark scars that made him look both feral and childish.

"I swear I'll kill you, you little shit!" The taller boy said in an oily voice while trying to kick the darker child.

"Shut the hell up, Harland! You're just pissed cause I kick your weak ass!" The smaller boy snarled gruffly as he took the kick and retaliated with a hook punch.

"I am not weak!" Harland screamed shrilly as he stumbled back.

"Bullshit dickwad! You're so weak a little girl could kick your ass!" The darker child moved to pursue him, hands held in a mixed guard.

"Shut up, bitchface, I'll kill you!" The pale boy aimed a side kick to the smaller boy's ribs.

"Try it asshole, you're the one who's gonna end up dead!" He blocked the kick and moved in for an uppercut that sent the taller boy reeling for a moment.

The pale boy charged forward with a shrill scream as he aimed a punch at the shorter boys head. The other boy swiftly ducked as he kicked the taller boy in the knee causing him to collapse. Rising up as the taller boy fell the dark youth struck him across the face while kicking him in the chest. The pale boy leapt up and moved to tackle the shorter one when Midori intercepted.

"Let me go, I'll kill him!"

"Will Somebody help me with this kid!"

Akira quickly stepped forward and knocked the struggling boy out with a sharp jab to the appropriate pressure point.

"That's better, come on we need to get this psycho out of here."

A soft voice with a thick accent suddenly spoke up from behind him. "It's good to see that you are awake, Natsuki will be able to relax a little now. She was worried that you might be badly injured."

Startled the boy whipped around to face the speaker as he dropped into a fighting stance but stopped instantly when he came face to face with them.

"Who the hell are you?" The boy demanded harshly, his voice wasn't quite as husky as Natsuki's but it was low and gruff as if he was constantly growling.

"Ara, it's terribly rude to ask for my name when I still haven't gotten yours."

"… You have red eyes."

"So it would seem."

"…"

"No one is going to hurt you, we're only trying to help you." Natsuki said stepping forward. She had just finished reporting to Fumi and was only now getting there but it didn't take a genius to figure out the situation.

At first it seemed he would't trust them. Then slowly, very slowly, the boy eased out of his defensive crouch and not once did he break eye contact with Shizuru.

"What's your name, kid?"

"… Kuma." He stood taller. "Takehiko Kumabushi, but my father used to call me Kumahiko."

"I'm Natsuki Kruga and this is Shizuru Fujiola."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Kuma-_Han_."

.

"YOU BOUGHT ME FOR HOW MUCH?!?!"

Natsuki wondered about the wisdom of telling such an obviously ill tempered boy that his life had just been bought as if he were a pet. Obviously it hadn't been Shizuru's best idea. Looking at him as he stood there nearly fuming she realized he wasn't much taller than Mikoto, in fact he was slightly shorter than the cat-like HiME.

"The amount makes no difference, but--" Kuma quickly cut off Shizuru's attempt to explain.

"Three thousand yen?! How the hell can you say that the cost doesn't matter? And since when the fuck am I anyone's property?!"

"Calm down." It was not a request. Even so, the smile had never left Shizuru's face at all.

Stunned into silence Kuma could only stare up at the older woman. "The amount makes no difference because I did not buy you. What I paid for was your freedom to do with as you wish. You yourself owe me nothing as I do not own you at all."

"What?"

"What you choose to do is your own business. If you choose to leave and return to your family then that is what you may do. If you choose to stay in Fuka then that is fine too. You may even accompany us to Garderobe if you wish. It is your choice."

"Why?"

"Because no one deceives a life without freedom."

* * *

**AN**

Can anyone can guess the pun in 'Kuma'?

Also I'm going to be using Kuma, Takehiko, and Kumahiko interchangeably throughout the story, so I hope no one gets confused.

Like I said before super sorry for the waist of time waiting for a new version of the story to come up but I finally conceded defeat since I can't seem to get a new version going so, sorry. And sorry for the short chapter too.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Natsuki stood in the shadow of the pillar she leaned against as she silently watched the dark youth they had recently saved as he sat on top of one of the smoother stones in the back garden.

Nearly a week had gone by as Takehiko, or Kumahiko as he preferred to be called, slowly healed. During that time he had been slowly introduced to all of the HiMEs as well the Otomes who had attended the Conference. Out of all of the people that the young boy had come across the ones who seemed to take the most interest in him were Rena, Mai, and Mikoto.

Rena being a mother herself was naturally nurturing and had reacted to the ill tempered boy with surprising amount patience and gentility. Of course Hiko had translated her care as being pity and had growled out that he was not a baby and he neither needed nor wanted anyone's damned pity. Despite his volatile behavior Rena was still persisting in getting to know the boy.

"Why bother? It's obvious he doesn't like anyone let alone you." Midori had asked once.

Rena hadn't been able to say why exactly only that she could see the loneliness behind his eyes.

Natsuki privately agreed about the boys loneliness, even she could see the pain he hid behind his anger. In fact he somewhat reminded her of Shizuru although he was the opposite of her.

On one hand Shizuru was the perfect lady, always polite to everyone, forever patient and calm, and she was always smiling. On the other hand Kumahiko acted more like an animal than anything, he was short tempered, foulmouthed, a perpetual frowner, and he never smiled at anyone but was quick to glare at everyone. But no matter how much Shizuru smiled it was almost always a false smile, a way for her to hide her true feelings from the world. She and Natsuki had known each other since childhood and though Natsuki did not know the whole story she was well aware that Shizuru had experienced a great deal of hardship in one form or another. While the story behind Hiko was a mystery it was easy for her to see that his anger and tough attitude was all a front to hide whatever pain he suffered from.

Mikoto's attitude towards him had been based on a somewhat child-like fascination since Hiko was so unlike anyone the young HiME had ever met before. Oddly enough Mikoto was one of the few people in the palace who didn't immediately receive a glare on sighting. The two had managed to make a small bond over their swords.

Mikoto had been extremely curious about the boys sword, he never went anywhere without it in much the same fashion as Mikoto herself treated her own sword. With somewhat childish excitement Mikoto had presented the huge claymore for the stony boy to inspect.

"This is Miroku, he's my friend and we fight together. What do you call that child?"

Kumahiko was silent as he studied the beautiful claymore before he moved to slowly unwrap his own sword.

"'_Wagahai yo, akai shi da.'_, is what my father said me when he gave my this sword. He also told me that, _'He was mine once as he was my fathers before me and his fathers before him and so on and so forth, and now he is yours. Trust in him and respect him and he shall never fail you.'_" It was a kriegsmesser nearly as long as the boy was tall and well deserving of it's name for the entire sword was the color of coagulated blood. It looked as if the weapon itself were made of hardened blood. Even the scabbard was the color of dried blood. All in all it was somewhat disturbing to look at.

Mikoto's face broke out into a wide grin and the two of them had spent quit a lot of time talking about swords in general until their stomachs both growled.

Mai was one of the last girls to meet him, due to his small size she didn't anticipate his large appetite. Of all the things that Mai could cook, and there was quit a lot that Mai could cook, he seemed to favor sushi best, though honestly he ate anything she sat in front of him. Mai found him oddly cute.

"He looks a bit like a grumpy little teddy bear." Mai told her while rubbing the back of her head.

Looking at him now, Natsuki had to admit that he did look a bit like a small bear.

His light wheat-blonde hair, which was just a few shades lighter than Shizuru's, was hardly more than a layer of tall fuzz on his dark head since it was shaved barely longer than a crew cut. He had bright brown eyes that seemed to burn and immediately caught your focus as they appeared to dare the world. A small white scar stretched across the bridge of his nose and stuck out against his dark skin.

Privately she recalled what Elliot had about the Freemen of the Free Nations a few days back.

FLASHBACK**:**

"The Freemen live in a near constant state of anarchy since there is no ruling monarchy. The only form of authority they seem to respect, or more accurately fear, is the Syndicate." Elliot had explain to them all.

"What is the Syndicate?" Mashiro had asked.

"The Syndicate is the collective name of the various crime organizations. The individual branches themselves run on a system nearly identical to the Mafia or even the Yakuza originations of the old world and are headed by individuals called Crime lords. Each Crime Lord rules over what is known as a 'territory' and the many smaller gangs within that territory. Even the individual Rogues respect that territory's respective Crime Lord."

That caught Natsuki's attention. "That's what that show master called Hiko, so that exactly is a rogue?"

"That's a bit complicated to explain."

"Try to simplify it."

"Well, to put it simply a Rogue is the resulting offspring from a union between a Gypsie Freeman and a Wylder Freeman."

"Wait I thought there was only one kind of Freeman?" Midori confessed, she wasn't the only one to have believed that.

"The name Freeman is simply a reference to the nationality of the Free Nations while the races of the people themselves are extremely diverse. There are the common Freemen themselves, then the nomadic Gypsies, and the feral Wylder tribes. The trope that preformed during the last day of the Conference was made up mostly of Gypsies, it comes as no surprise that they had at least one Rogue with them to do labor."

"What?!"

"The Wylder tribesmen are not referred to as feral simply because they live in the wild parts of the Free Nations, their behavior is almost identical to that of a wild beast and the half-cast rogues are treated no better than animals themselves. Normally Rogues tend to live off the streets alone, preferring their individual solitude to the company of others. But sometimes they are found or even sold to traveling tropes who use their naturally heightened strength and agility for their own purposes often seeing them as no more then a slightly intelligent beast of burden."

Natsuki felt her blood boil. "But how can anyone do that? Kumahiko is just a child for the gods sake!"

"They can do that because the Rogues are so looked down upon, and in general such a life is often better than the alternative.""What are you saying? That they have a right to treat a child like an animal?!"

"Never!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"That most Rogues do not live past the age of 15 on the streets either through disease or murder."

"Wha-what?"

"Rogues spend their entire life fighting each other and anyone else they come across. A Rogue is born fighting and so they will die fighting. It's all they have to live for and often their body is riddle with the evidence of their harsh lifestyle."

END FLASHBACK**:**

'_How can someone so young be forced to suffer something so cruel?' _She wondered returning her focus to the boy in question, but realized to late that he was gone.

* * *

**AN**

'_Wagahai yo akai shi' _- It's supposed to translate to _I am the Red Death _and I purposely used _Wagahai_ as _I_ instead of something like _Ore_ or _Boku _because it's supposed to sound archaic which it is.

A Kriegsmesser is a German sword and the name translates to war-knife.


	5. Chapter 5

I sincerely apologize for the long wait but the last half of my senior year has been pretty rough and my school's forcing me to do summer school in order to fully earn my diploma so I've had very little time to work on any of my stories at all. Once again I'll apologize for any OOCness with the Mai HiME/Mai Otome cast, it's been awhile since I've watched either show so it's hard to really capture their character correctly.

If your still reading this I just want to say thanks for sticking around this long and I hope you like it.

Now that all that's out of the way lets move on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 5

Nao sighed for what had to be the billionth time today, why the hell was she the one sent to find the weird brat anyway? Why not Natsuki or even that Otome Shizuru since she was the one who bought the little freak from that fat-assed showmaster to begin with? But no, they had to send Nao when she had million other things she'd rather be doing right now. _Sigh_.

Midori had found Nao earlier and asked her to go find the young Rogue since today was the last day that the Otomes and their Queen would be in Fuka and the young Queen of Garderobe had wanted to ask him what he intended to do with his new found freedom in case there was something she could do to help.

Nao privately wondered why anyone even bothered to try and help the tiny punk since he only ever seemed to glare and growl at everyone else. Well, maybe not everyone. For some reason he never seemed to growl at Shizuru or Natsuki though why he didn't was beyond Nao. To her Shizuru was weird and a bit too ladylike and Natsuki was too stupid and stuck up for her own good.

_Sigh_, this had to be, what, like the fifth time she had wandered down this hallway looking for the little twirp this morning. Where the hell was that short little brat anyway?

At the sound of a loud shriek Nao whipped around looking for the source of the noise. She heard some muffled shouting and correctly guessed it was coming from the female guard's locker room on the other side of the palace and took off running straight for it. Aw well, she may not have found the bratty little bear but at least she might see some action this morning.

Unfortunately for Nao the trouble was already taken care of by the time she got there and the only one in the locker room was some noobie guard who was babbling so badly that Nao couldn't understand a word she said.

Meanwhile in the throne room Natsuki found herself both very bored and quit annoyed and growing more so with each word the miniature Archduke uttered from where he stood at the bottom of the dais flanked by his number one lackey Sergay and his irritating Valkyrie Tomoe while Natsuki herself stood behind Princess Fumi along with Aoi as Shizuru, Rena, and Elliot stood behind their own Queen Mashiro. Originally she had only come to the throne room in order to see just what Kumahiko would have to say once Nao managed to find him and bring him in to talk. But as luck would have it Nagi the Archduke of Schwartz had decided to pay unplanned for and honestly unwelcome visit while they waited for the young rogue.

Natsuki also heard the screaming from where she stood but didn't bother moving to check it out, one of the others would get to it quickly and if it were a real problem someone needed to guard Fumi though she had no doubt that Shizuru, or any of the Otomes really, would do all she could to insure the safety of Fuka's Crown Princess just as she would do the same for Garderobe's Queen.

Movement caught her eye at the doorway, glancing up at it she watched Nao wander in on her own and frowned at the redheaded HiME. Here Nao was supposed to be looking for Kuma and the idiot walks in completely alone.

Fumi silently raised her hand to interrupt Nagi with an apologetic smile and once Nagi stopped talking she turned in her seat to address Nao. "No luck finding our guest, Nao-_Chan_?"

Nao shrugged, "It's too bad but I couldn't find that grouchy little bear anywhere. Maybe he ran off?" she smirked.

"Who you calling a 'grouchy little bear'?" Kumahiko growled as the small Rogue walked through the door and right past Nao.

"Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how much time I wasted looking for you, you ill-tempered teddy bear?!" Nao seethed.

"The hell are you calling an 'ill-tempered teddy bear' web-head!?" Kuma all but snarled.

"Pardon me for interrupting but why would a Freeman Rogue be running around in Fuka Palace of all places?" An oily voice rang out "Are you Fumi-_Chan_'s newest pet? Or Maybe you belong to Mashiro_-Chan_? Or perhaps you really do belong to Shizuru-_Chan_? After all I've heard all the rumors about her buying a child from that fat old showmaster on the last day of the Conference."

"What the hell?" Kuma growled.

Shizuru's soft voice rang out in answer. "Kuma_-Han_ is no ones pet, and as for why the child is here, I'm afraid, with all due respect Archduke Nagi, that is none of your concern. Know only that Kuma-_Han_ is a guest here. The child does not belong to me."

"Oh really?"

Natsuki stepped forward with a growl. "Kumahiko is a guest here at the palace and need we remind you that you yourself are an uninvited one at that, Nagi-_San_."

"Forgive me, Na-_Chan_, but I didn't know that Fuka was in the habit of showing hospitality to a savage beast." Nagi chuckled.

"That so called 'savage' is still a human being and currently a ward of Garderobe under the guardianship of Meister Otome Shizuru Fujiola." Mashiro replied confidently.

That seemed knocked the wind out of Nagi's sails and as a bonus, Tomoe and Sergay didn't look none too happy about the news either, particularly Tomoe.

"I see, well if that's how it is than I suppose I'd better apologize. Unless you'd rather sell your Rogue for double the price you bought **her** for Shizuru-_Chan_?"

_Her_? _That little Kuma's a girl? Since when_? All eyes turned to take first the stunned expression on the stormy child's face and continued to watched as a shame filled flush spread out all across the dark youth's face before darkening in fury.

"_Kon'aro_! Just cause I'm a girl don't make me no god damned body slave so whatever the hell you're thinking ain't never gonna happen no matter how much you pay! I may be a streetwalker's daughter but I was raised as a Crime Lords son, so keep your goddamn perversions to yourself, _yaro_!"

Elliot stepped forward. "Shizuru-_San_ has no intention of ending her contract with her Rogue regardless of their gender. I'm certain you know as well as I do that once a contract is establish it cannot be ended so quickly afterwards."

"Ah, I see, so sorry. I just assumed that Shizuru would have little use for a Rogue." Nagi shrugged. "But if that's how it is, I'll just have to give up, for now that is."

"If you are quit finish, Archduke, I'll ask you to take your leave. I'm sure you know your way out." Mashiro intoned.

Nagi was still smirking even as he turned to leave with both his lackeys trailing after him. He left looking disturbingly amused.

Silence reigned for a short eternity once the Archduke had left before Rena's voice broke it.

"What is that you've got there, Takehiko-_Chan_?"

"**Don't** call me _Chan_." The dark Rogue grumbled. "My name is Takehiko Kumabushi, it's the name my father gave me, it's the name I've always had. If you have to call me anything then call me Kuma, but don't add _Chan_. Like I said before, I may be the daughter of streetwalker but I was raised to be a Crime Lords son."

"My apologies, Kuma-_Kun_."

Kuma cocked her head at that. "_Kun_? Well I guess that's better than _Chan_." Then bringing forward the thing she'd dragged in with her. "I found this asshole sneaking around in the guards locker room babbling something about Natsuki-_Aniki_, naughty pictures, and wanting to do 'this' and 'that' with her. Here," A quick toss landed the swordsman at the bottom of the dais. "I may be young but I'm certainly not ignorant, I thought about just taking care of him myself but I figured someone else might want to handle him instead."

Natsuki merely glanced down at the body on the floor as it twitched and groaned before somehow rolling over. She blinked and did a double take before growling. "Ta-ke-da!"

Another twitch and groan was her only answer from the fallen swordsman.

"Oi, you know this asshole, Aniki?" Kuma asked pointing at Takeda.

"_Aniki_?" Natsuki murmured. "Since when does the kid call me Aniki?"

"Ara, perhaps the little bear has taken a liking to Natsuki?" Shizuru joked softly while never taking her eyes off the unconscious Takeda. "For not knowing who he is you don't seem to like Masashi-_Han_ to much Kumahiko."

"_Che, _damn right I don't like him. I don't like the look of him, I don't like the sound of him, and I especially don't like the smell of him."

"Smell?"

"Like I said I may be young but I sure as hell ain't ignorant, he down right reeks of lust. Just like the bastards who used to come looking for Akemi."

"Who is Akemi?"

"Do you remember seeing a real pretty dancer preform or maybe she sang?"

"Yes."

"That was Akemi, probably the only to ever give a damn about in the troupe."

"Speaking of which, we had originally wanted to talk to you about your future and what you intend to do with your life from now on, Kuma-_Kun_." Fumi tried.

"What about my future?"

"That's what we would like to know, what do you intend to do?"

"What exactly **can** I do? My father is dead, my dumb bitch mother sold me so she wouldn't be forced into becoming a body slave. I've no family to turn to, and worse yet I've no way to get back to the Wylder Highlands where my only kith and kin reside and no guarantee the tribe would accept me even if I did find them."

"Is it possible you could find a way to take care of yourself if you returned to the Free Nations?"

Kuma shook her head. "The moment I set so much as a hair on Free Nation soil with no Syndicate or Tribe to back me up I'll be caught and either killed, thrown back into the slave market, or worse yet the Slaughterhouse. Now I've already been through my fair share of Tournaments and prize fights, but even I ain't mad enough to set foot in that deathtrap."

"So you truly have no where go ?"

"I've got nothing."

"Then I suppose we'll have to figure out what to do with you later once the Otomes and Mashiro-_Chan_ have returned to Garderobe." Fumi sighed.

"What?"

"They are returning home later today."

Kuma stared up at them incredulously. "You're leaving?" It was clear that she was addressing Shizuru alone this time.

"That is correct."

"Heh, well ain't this a bitch." The young Rogue chuckled humorously.

"Beg Pardon?"

"You really don't realize that this is a one of the worst insults for a Rogue, do you?"

"..."

Kumahiko shook her head. "My new boss buys me on _whim _and for _twice_ the amount I was originally worth. Then they expect me to just sit back on my ass and do _absolutely nothing_ for them. They refuse to even _acknowledge_ the contract they made the moment they bought me let alone properly officilize it with me. But the worst thing of all, and this here's the kicker, my boss is a blueblood who wants nothing to do with me at all and actually intends to cast me aside completely."

"That's–"

"_Ano_, Kuma-_Kun_ actually has a point Shizuru-San." Elliot interrupted.

"What?"

"I'd been meaning to talk to you and explain but hadn't found the time before. In the Free Nations the Rogues have a culture and rules of their own. Once a Rogue's services are bought no matter who it is that gets paid for them initially a contract is immediately formed and that contract can only be broken by either selling the Rogue to someone else or by said Rogue earning their freedom in full. So until that time comes I'm afraid that there is no way to break your contract with Kuma."

"So like it or not, _Aneki_, you're stuck with me from now on." Kuma smirked. "So, when do we leave?"

* * *

**AN**

_Aniki _- Literally Japanese for "Elder brother" or a kind of gang slang for "Big bro" or "Bro" used to show respect to someone you're not related to.

_Aneki_ - Literally Japanese for "Elder sister" or a kind of gang slang for "Big sis" or "Sis" used to show respect to someone you're not related to.

_Kun_ - A Japanese honorific usually used for boys but sometimes used with girls too.

_Chan_ - An affectionate Japanese honorific sometimes used for children or close friends.

_Kon'aro _- Slang short for Kono Yaro meaning "You Bastard!"_._

_Yaro_ - "Bastard".

_Ano_ - Basically slang equivalent to "Umm".

And in case your wondering why Natsuki's getting the 'butch' treatment just try mentally comparing her to Shizuru... See what I mean? And no she won't be the only one to be referred to masculinely by little Kuma. I'm sure you can guess who the others are. ;)

To Rile E. Coyote: You do have a point but personally it sounds more like "Rokai" rather than "Yokai" and after looking up Japanese Slang I found it spelled "Ryokai" for which the R is rarely, keyword being 'rarely', but sometimes still noticable. All in all i really do apreciate your corrections since it's pretty damn hard to properly utilize the Japanese language when you know next to nothing about outside of the bits and pieces you catch from subbed animes. It may be a bit much to ask you to do this since you're just reading this story for fun but, if you notice anymore mistakes with my Japanese please feel free to point them out and correct me all you want. ^^

I apologize if the story is hard to follow or just not all that interesting but I don't have a Beta (though I'd love to have one) so I'm afraid you're just going to have to put up with me on my own. ^_^;


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"_So like it or not, Aneki, you're stuck with me from now on." Kuma smirked. "So, when do we leave?"_

–

So Shizuru found herself loaded into a car with Natsuki, Mikoto, Nao and a brooding Kumahiko approaching Garderobe Palace while Mashiro, Rena, and Elliot rode in another. Hours earlier Shizuru'd had an unfortunately short discussion with Elliot where the young ambassador tried to carefully explained the workings of Rogues, their contracts, and the culture behind them to the best of her abilities. And unfortunately their talk had been cut short as Elliot was called away soon after they had begun. Shizuru had taken great care to pay special attention to everything Elliot'd had managed to say but many things were still somewhat sketchy in her mind.

She watched Kuma frown at the passing scenery a moment before softly addressing the young Freeman. "Kuma."

Cinnamon hued eyes blinked before shifting their focus in attention. "Aneki."

The slight raise of a elegant brow was the only response she offered for the light gibe before continuing. "I'm afraid there are a few things I'm not quit clear on concerning our contract."

Another blink. "What's there to understand, it's all pretty basic really."

"What exactly are you supposed to do for me?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"On what you need and want from me."

"I wonder. What exactly is it that you can do?"

"I'm a Rogue, so I do what comes naturally to all Rogues."

"And that is?" Natsuki asked, having decided to take an interest in the conversation.

"I fight." Was the simple answer.

"You fight? That's it? Is that all you can do? But your just a small child." Natsuki could hardly believe her ears.

Kuma cocked an eyebrow at her before returning her focus back to the red-eyed Otome. "I can fight, amoung other things of course."

"Such as?" Shizuru wondered.

"I'm small but I'm a hell of a lot stronger than I look and I'm also faster than your average bear."

"And yet you took a beating from some old fat showmaster and his goons." Nao deadpanned.

Kuma threw a glare at the red-haired HiME. "The only reason I let that jackass push me around like that is because I had a contract with him and so I couldn't lay a hand on him without breaking it."

Natsuki blinked. "Wait, you let some asshole beat you just because of some stupid contract? You're a human being for pity's sake!"

Kuma just shook her head. "You wouldn't understand, to a Rogue a contract is worth more than our own life. It's how we earn money, where we get our next meal from, how we keep a roof over our head and clothes on our back. It's how we stay alive long enough to do something with our life. An uncontracted Rogue is lucky to live long enough to see their eighth summer let alone keep out of the Slaughterhouses."

Nao frowned. "Slaughterhouse?"

Another shake of the head. "Just be glade you'll never have a reason to see the inside of one."

"But what exactly does a contract mean to you?"

"Basically a contract between a Rogue and their contractor is the same between as one made between a mercenary and a client, or even one between, oh lets say an Otome and their master. I do whatever you need me to do, with some limitations of course. It's my duty to protect you and all you hold dear to you, I can be your body guard, I'll hunt down anyone need me to, I'll guard your home, I'll go to war, any thing you need that's lost, I'll find it for you, whatever you need just name it. You need a fighter, I'll be your warrior, all you have to do is give me my orders. I'm not a pet, but I am a soldier."

"Then, what do you get in exchange for all of this?"

"Simple enough, food in my belly, a roof over my head, and clothes on my back."

"That's it? That's all you get? Seems like a jip to me." Nao snorted.

Kuma cast a glance at the sulky HiME. "Well I ain't exactly old enough to be wanting any of that 'other' stuff yet."

"Ara, by 'other' could you mean?..."

A smirk. "Well, some times, if a Rogue's old enough, their contractor might find a way to provide them with, 'adult' entertainment from time to time."

"Ara..."

Natsuki said nothing and just turned to stare out the window to hide her blush. They couldn't arrive soon enough for her.

.

_Sigh_.

Shizuru glanced over at her restless dark companion. "Is something the matter Kuma-_Han_?"

"Not really, I just wish I could have gotten the rest of my shit back from that fat old bastard before he took off. He's probably cowering in some shithole bar halfway across the Free Nations by now. Come to think of it he probably sold everything I owned by now too."

"Was there anything important that you needed?"

"Well, not really, I guess."

"You guess?" Nao scuffed.

"It's just that, a Rogue doesn't really hold still for very long, we kinda just bounce around from place, to place, to place. Living life from contract to contract and doing the best we can to stay alive in between each one until we can form another one with someone else. A Rogue can have as many as a hundred different lairs to hideout in during the times when we don't have a contract to worry about. We don't have a real home to return to so we don't really have a lot of valuables to keep track of. What we do value we carry with us no matter where we are and we're always thinking up new ways to carry our things so that nothing gets in the way or holds us back during a fight."

"What all did you leave behind?" Natsuki asked.

A light shrug. "Just random junk mostly. It's all replaceable but I bought most of that stuff myself so it's kind of sentimental I suppose. Although... there were some things that I can't actually replace all that easily I guess."

"What?"

"Well... Akemi made me a fur coat one winter when it got really cold. Also there was Red's care kit, not to mention my Surcoat, and the rest of my Regalia."

"What do you mean by regalia?"

"All Rogues wear what's referred to as a Surcoat, it's how we recognize each other when we can't manage to distinguish one another by our markings alone. The Surcoat looks kind of like a _gakuran_ but the jacket is extra long and each Rogue wears one in their own personal colors as a visual representation of their name and title during Tournaments. You might actually compare them to an Otome's Robe really. And as for our Regalia, well, it's our official battle gear that's used only during Tournaments or in times of war when we're involved."

"What are Tournaments?"

"A kind of formal and ceremonial battle between Rogues. It's not all that dissimilar to a Butou between Otomes, the only difference is we fight for keeps and you don't."

"A fight to the death then."

"Mm."

"Have you ever fought a Tournament?"

"Yes, but it got interrupted by a gang fight near by and we never found the time to settle the matter once and for all afterwards."

"You seem to know quite a bit about Otomes."

"I only know what Chichiue ever managed to tell me really."

"I see."

Nao frowned then slowly smirked at the small child.

"What?" Kuma glared.

"So, that Gypsy Akemi made you a fur coat?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Nothing, you just seem to have been pretty found of Akemi-_Chan_."

A blush. "L-like hell I was! She was annoying, always hanging around me, and worrying like a mother hen or something..."

This time it was Kuma's turn to hide her blush by staring out the window.

.

"Ah, there's the gates! We're here!" Mikoto gushed uttering her first words since setting out on their journey. She had fallen asleep not long after they had set out and had only just recently awakened.

"Indeed." Shizuru murmured as she watched Kuma move to settle in next to the now hyper HiME to get a better view. Luckily for Shizuru, Mashiro had already informed the others at the palace about the latest addition to their home so the dark Rogue's arrive should come as no surprise to them.

She could only hope that it would all go well.

.

_Twitch_.

Just as Shizuru had expected the rest of the Otomes along with the palace staff had made a show of meeting at the door before breaking off into groups, some went with Mashiro to give their reports to the young Queen and help her settle in more easily. As for the rest of them, well...

_Twitch_.

Mikoto had wandered off with Mai a few moments before, chattering happily all the while. Natsuki on the other hand had gone off to discuss some things with Mashiro while Nao went to get settled into her room. All three HiMEs had come to Garderobe as was the habit between both countries, three HiMEs would spend a time in Garderobe as personal representatives of their country and their Princess. Then three Otomes would accompany them back home and spend a time in Fuka as well.

Shizuru wondered how long the staring contest would go on as she watched Kuma's frown deepen with each twitch of her eye while the young Rogue stared up at the other remaining Otomes who each stared back at the small child. Although their focus wasn't exactly on the dark Rogues pale brown eyes or her face for that matter.

Another_ twitch _followed by a low warning growl. Still the Otomes continued to stare while the remaining staff members took the chance to scrutinize their newest arrival.

One final_ twitch_, then Kuma finally snapped. "_**Doko mite iru!?**_"

Some of the Otomes had the dignity to blush a little while Haruka turned her stare to Shizuru.

"Oi, _Bubuzuke-Ona_, I thought you said you were bringing a little girl with you not a little toy."

"Just who the hell are you calling–?"

_Cough_ "That's 'boy', Haruka-_Oneesama_." Nina corrected quietly.

"Like I said." Haruka huffed.

"This is Takehiko Kumabushi, a young Rogue from the Free Nations. I'm certain that Mashiro-_Sama_ sent word that we would be bringing her back with us."

"That's supposed to be a girl?" Whispered one of the palace guards standing nearby.

"I ain't a girl!" Growled Kuma. "I'm a Rogue, nothing more an' nothing less. I'm only here cause Shizuru-_Aneki_ bought my contract, I ain't here to be your personal freak show! And my eyes are farther north, boke! So quite staring at my damn crotch!"

"Why are you so loud?! A girl should be cute, demure, and have guts!" Haruka yelled at Kuma.

"Who are you calling loud when you've got the biggest mouth here!? And why the hell would I want to be a girl? I'm a Rogue damnit! I don't need guts I've got b–!"

"_Ano_, excuse me Shizuru-_Oneesama_." Erstin called.

"Yes, Erstin-_Han_?"

"A package arrived for you the other day, it's waiting for in your rooms."

"Thank you Erstin. Kuma-_Kun_, that's enough."

"..._Rokai_, Aneki." Kuma crossed her arms looking sullen.

"Nina_-Han_, could you and Erstin-_Han_ please show Kuma around the palace so she can familiarize herself with the grounds?"

"_Hai_, Oneesama."

"Haruka, come with me I'd like to here about all that has happened while we've been gone, you too Chie-_Han_."

"_Hai_." Answered both Otomes before walking off but Shizuru stopped and turned to address a maid standing near by.

"Please inform Natsuki of where we will be."

The maid curtseyed. "Hai, Shizuru-_Sama_."

Soon enough the two Otomes were standing alone with the young Rogue.

"Ano." Erstin fidgeted. "I'm Erstin Ho, this is Nina_-Chan_."

"Nina Wang." Nina supplied nodding to the smaller Rogue.

"...Call me Kuma."

Erstin smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kuma-_Kun_."

"Likewise, _Neechan_. So, where to?"

.

"So that's how it is." Haruka sat back in her seat after Shizuru finished explaining. The four of them were currently sitting around a table in one of the minor conference rooms, Haruka and Chie sat on one side while Shizuru and Natsuki sat on the other. Natsuki had come in halfway through Shizuru's explanation.

"Hai."

Haruka shook her head. "I still can't believe you actually bought a kid, just what exactly do you intend to do with her now?"

"I'm not entirely certain but she has no where else to go and seems dead set on staying with me no matter what."

"Still, it's pretty unbelievable that you of all people would end up in a contract with a Rogue, Oneesama." Chie said thoughtfully.

"How so?"

"I've heard nearly all the rumors about Rogues of course though I'm not as versed in Free Nations culture as Elliot-_Oneesama_ of course, but I still know a bit."

"Would you care to share your knowledge then, Chie-_Han_?"

"Certainly. For starters, does the name Takeshi Ryubumon ring any bells?"

"Isn't that the name of a famous revulsionary from the Free Nation?" Haruka asked.

"That's 'revolutionary' Haruka-_Oneesama_, and yes it is. Now what about the words _'Wagahai yo, akai shi da.'_?"

"You mean Kuma's sword?" Natsuki husked.

"Correction, it was Ryubumon's famous sword. It was rumored to never leave his side."

Natsuki frowned. "Was?..."

Haruka looked confused. "I thought he died somewhere."

Chie nodded. "He did, along with every last one of his subordinates although, one of them was rumored to have somehow survived the massacre, a child according to stories."

"Then you mean to say?..."

"That your little Rogue may very well be the one and only child of one of the most influential Crime Lords in the Free Nations Syndicate."

"Ara, ara."

.

"_Ano_, Kuma-_Kun_..." Erstin tried as she walked down a hallway with a mildly curious Kuma and an indifferent Nina. She didn't mind Nina silence since it was a comfortable one but Kuma was new and she was curious about the dark child.

"Eh?" Kuma turned to look at her without missing a step. "What's up, Neechan?"

"What is it you do for Shizuru-_Oneesama_?"

"What, Aneki? Nothing much, we haven't really worked out the details of the contract yet."

"Oh, but, surely there must be something you can do in the mean time, a Rogue prefers to keep busy, right?"

"HOooh, you know a thing or two about Rogues, Neechan?"

"Mm, but I only know what Elliot-_Oneechan_'s told me."

"Huh, oh you mean that ambassador _Oniisan_." Kuma nodded slightly. "Yeah, she seems to know quit a bit about Freemen and the Free Nations too."

Nina raised an eyebrow at that. "Why do you do that?"

Kuma blinked up at the dark haired girl. "Do what?"

"You called Elliot-_Oneesama_ Oniisan even though she's a woman. Why?"

"For Rogues, gender doesn't matter to us, is a Rogue, is a Rogue, is a Rogue, whether you're born a boy or a girl doesn't matter. It's how you live your life, how you fight your fights that matters for us. We don't usually life long so we're not particularly picky about what gender our life partner is either, even if they're the same gender as us. The only thing that matters is how we feel for them and how they feel for us in return."

Erstin bowed her head to in an attempt to hide her blush, but she couldn't resist taking a peek at Nina, just to see her reaction. Nina was frowning softly but looked somewhat thoughtful.

"I was born a girl but I don't think of myself as one and I don't like being treated like one either. Besides, Elliot-_Oniisan_ just doesn't feel like a girl to me she comes off more like a boy so she's _Oniisan_ rather than _Oneesan_." Kuma shrugged.

.

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you trying to me, that that bannerless–"

"'Mannerless'." Chie corrected.

"–little shrimp is the daughter of a melon–"

"'Felon'." Huffed Natsuki.

"–and the only one to survive a mass murder!?"

"Basically."

Natsuki nodded before looking thrown. "Wait..."

"**WHAT?!**" Two voices screamed as they leapt up, two sets of hands simultaneously slammed down on the tabletop.

.

Erstin had been explaining how to get from the library they were just coming from to all the main areas of the palace, such as the infirmary, the kitchens, dinning room, throne room, and the personal chambers. But Kuma stopped dead in her tracks just as they were leaving.

The two young Otomes stopped and turned to their short companion. "Kuma-_Kun_?" Erstin called softly.

"Did anyone else hear that?"

Nina and Erstin glanced at one another. "Hear what?" Nina asked.

"Some kind of scream."

Erstin's head shook. "We didn't hear anything."

The small Rogue frowned her full attention focused on listening hard, a moment passed then her head snapped up as she whipped around, her face set in serious concentration. "What's down the next hallway?"

Another shared glance. "One of the conference rooms, there are three throughout the whole palace."

"Was anyone scheduled to use it today?"

"Shizuru-_Oneesama_ probably went there to talk with the others."

Still frowning Kuma wasted no time in setting off for the conference, the two older Otomes looked at each other before following after their young charge.

.

"**WHAT?!**" This time it was Mai and Nao who were completely dumbfounded.

"That's what we said." Haruka snorted.

After their initial reaction the four of them had agreed that it would be best to share their suspicions with the others. Mai, Nao, Mikoto, and Elliot were all there, the only ones missing were Erstin and Nina but they were still giving the palace tour to the young Rogue in question.

"Do you really believe this, Shizuru-_San_?" Mai asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but Chie, as we all know, is rarely ever wrong about such things."

A group nod, they were all well aware of Chie's unusually sharp instincts.

"Also, on the night when I, 'bought' Kumahiko's contract, the showmaster did mention that Kuma's father was one of the infamous Crime Lords."

"And," Chie interjected. "Ryubumon was said to have ruled over the Central Territories, which, coincidentally are the same ones that Kuma's father is supposed to have ruled."

"Elliot-_San_, what do you know about this?"

"I, had heard the rumors and the stories, they weren't pleasant in the least."

"So what do you know then?"

"Ryubumon and his entire clan were said to have been killed in one night. But, they weren't just killed they were murdered."

"Murdered?"

Elliot nodded. "But that's not the worst part, when others showed up to investigate they found the bodies strewn all over the floor without regard for race, sex, or age."

"No way... you mean they--?"

"They killed everyone, including all the women and children, no one was said to have been left alive."

"Dear gods..."

"The reports said that they found a trail of blood leading out of the building and when they followed it they found Ryubumon's body lying in the snow nearly half a mile away, but no matter how much they searched the area or the building they never found his sword anywhere. Or his rumored son."

Silence descended as they all thought about the disturbing news before Chie cleared her throat.

"So, about the package you received Oneesama, what–?"

A sudden knock on the door interrupted her.

"Yo Aneki, so this is where you ran off to, I–" Kuma stopped and blinked at the people in the room. "Oi, what's everybody staring at me for?"

Silence was Kuma's answer as some of them stared at the small stormy child with a mixture of pity and regret while the others looked on in disbelief.

"Ok seriously what the _**hell**_are you all staring at? And what the hell do you all look so goddamn pitiful for?"

"_Kawaiso_..."

* * *

**AN**

_Doko mite iru?_ - Japanese for "Where are you looking?" though in Kuma's case it should be more like "Where the hell are you looking?"

_Bubuzuke-Ona_ - One of the running gags from Mai-HiME is that Haruka constantly called Shizuru this, though I'm not entirely sure how it's translated. Sorry.

_Oneesama _- Literally "Elder Sister" in Japanese and it's much more formal and polite it's used to show respect to an older girl or woman.

_Neechan _- Literally "Elder Sister" in Japanese though this is consider a cutesier and more informal form of address than the formal _Oneesama_.

_Ara_ - Kyoto Japanese version of _Are_ which is an exclamation meaning something like "My!" or "Oh my".

_Oniisan_ - Literally "Elder Brother" in Japanese, not quit as formal as _Oniisama_.

_Oneesan_ - Literally "Elder Sister in Japanese, not quit as formal as _Oneesama_.

_Kawaiso _- Means "poor", "pathetic", "pitiable", or (maybe?) "Poor thing" in Japanese.

A _gakuran_ is a school uniform typically worn by boys in Japan.


	7. Chapter 7

You guys still there? Not to complain but I ain't heard from anyone in a while so I'm starting wonder if anyone even bothers to read my work at all. *Shrugs* Well, review if ya wanna, it's always great to hear what you guys think of the story so far.

Moving on!

* * *

Chapter 7

Kuma was stunned. "_Ka-Kawaiso?_... _Kuso_!" A snarl, then roaring. **"JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING 'PITIABLE'?!"**

"Kuma–"

"No goddamnit!" Kuma's head bowed until they couldn't see her eyes as the small body started shaking with emotion. "Why? Why the hell does everyone always end up pitying me damnit? What good has pity ever done for anyone? You could cry a thousand tears but it still won't do any goddamn good! Can pity raise the dead? Can it stop a bleeding wound? Heal a broken body? NO! Pity can't do shit for anyone! So why the hell bother damnit!? I don't need no ones stinking pity and I sure as hell don't want it neither! So cut it out damnit!"

"Kuma-_Chan..._"

"No damnit! Don't call me _Chan_, don't ever call me _Chan_! The only who ever called me _Chan_ is my goddamn mother!" Fist clenched so hark the knuckles turned white. Then, shoulders thrown back in total defiance, feet spread wide and strong, chin up, and chest out, the young Rogue stared them all down, daring them to try and pity her more. "I never back down, I face every challenge head on with all my heart, and I never give up a fight! No matter what it takes, I'll always stand up again! I don't need anything from anyone, everything I've ever needed I've done by myself! I'm not a little girl, I'm my father's son and I sure as hell don't ever intend to let his memory down, not here, not now, not ever!"

Silence was the only thing to meet the small Rogues rebellious outburst. Then Nao snorted.

"Heh, pretty big words, for such a tiny little teddy bear." And effectively broke the ice.

"Yeah, well, this 'tiny little teddy bear' can kick some serious ass."

"Oh stop glaring would ya? Nobodies going to pity you anymore so relax already!"

Burning brown eyes turned to Shizuru. "Aneki?"

Shizuru nodded slightly. "It's alright Kumahiko, _mou ii_."

Kuma did seem to slowly relax at that as the others looked on in interest.

.

"So I guess this answers our questions." Chie sighed.

Kuma looked at the older Otome curiously from her spot behind Shizuru's chair. "What questions?"

"You really are the child of Takeshi Ryubumon."

"Mm."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Haruka demanded.

"What was the point? It's old history and there was no reason to start opening old wounds again."

"Ah, _gomen_,_ gomen_. Looks like I brought up bad memories." Chie apologized.

Kuma glanced off not looking at anyone or anything. "Don't mention it."

"I heard that he was a pretty good fighter." Haruka speculated.

"Chichiue was right on par with a Brigadier General, and he never acted cowardly. He was the first one into battle and the last one to retreat. He never left anyone behind."

"About that sword, is it really?..."

"Yeah... I'm not sure how I survived, and what I do remember of my childhood is all fuzzy most of the time."

"But you do remember what happened on that night?"

"Sort of."

"So what do you remember?"

A shake of the head. "Not much, just what Chichiue said before I blacked out. _'Wagahai yo, akai shi da. 'I am the Red Death.'_ _He was mine once as he was my fathers before me and his fathers before him and so on and so forth, and now he is yours. Trust in him and respect him and he shall never fail you.'_ When I finally woke up I realized I was already holding Red in my hands and Chichiue was no where in sight."

"And after that?"

"Nothing, I blacked out again soon after that and when I woke up after a long time I found myself staring at the woman who gave birth to me. She eventually sold me to the troupe not too long after that day. She never wanted me to begin with after all."

"But even so, for a mother to sell her own child is–!"

"Normal, in the Free Nations."

"What?!"

"Besides I'm not half as young as I look. I'm eleven after all even though I look about nine or so."

"You're still a child!"

"Actually for a Rogue I'm quit a bit older than most of us live to be--"

"–because most Rogues don't live to see eight." Natsuki finished thoughtfully.

"Mm."

"I still can't approve–"

"Whether you approve or not makes no difference either way, it won't change what's already been done. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is this, I'm old enough to know the difference between dying and living and I'm old enough to know myself."

"And what good does that do?" Nao challenged.

Kuma smirked. "Heh, more than enough, because I know that I can do damn near anything!"

"You really think big of yourself, don't you?"

"And why not? Since everyone else always thinks so little of me to begin with."

"So you think you can fight everyone and everything, right?"

"Sure, not like I've ever been proven wrong before."

"You're smaller than Mikoto for pity's sake!"

"Pity's got nothing to do with me for one thing and for another, let's just say I know how to throw my weight around in fight."

.

_Knock, knock_.

"Enter."

The door opened and a maid stepped in. "Shizuru-_Sama?_ Your package."

"_Arigato_. Set it here."

The maid curtseyed before turning to address someone behind, a palace guard wheeled in a trolley bearing a white box once she'd stepped aside.

They'd finished up the meeting earlier and Shizuru had decided it best to retire to her rooms, though not before showing her new companion to her rooms first.

"Hmm, I get this room all to myself?"

"Mmhm."

"But shouldn't I stay in your room? It's my job to look after you after all."

Shizuru smiled a bit at that. "_Arigato_, Kuma, but there's no need to worry about that. My rooms are just next door after all."

"Hmm."

Kuma blink at the box as she watched the guard struggle to move it, he was a scrawny thing after all.

_Sigh_. "Move." Kuma gruffed.

"Eh?"

"I said move, I'll get it. It's mine anyways."

"But I–"

"Look. See that bear paw on the side? And the writing underneath it? It's from Akemi, she must have convinced old fat-ass to send my stuff instead of selling it."

"...That's supposed to be writing?"

Kuma huffed. "It's written in Old Gypsain, a tame little cage bird like you wouldn't be able to read it." The dark Rogue stepped forward and picked the box up with ease setting it down near Shizuru's seat, all with one simple hand. "Was this it?" She asked the guard.

"Ah, h-hai!"

Kuma cocked a pale brow. "Then why are you still here? Shouldn't you be, oh I don't know, patrolling the grounds or something?"

"Ah, um, right. Well then..."

Kuma watched the guard leave frowning all the while. "Honestly, what kind of bumpkin of a guard is he? He looks like he could barely hold a proper sword, let alone lift one and fight."

"You don't seem to be much of a people person, Kuma-_Han_."

"Kuma." Gruffed the small Rogue.

"Hm?"

"Just calling me Kuma is fine." Turning she started fiddling with the box to get it open. "And I'm not a people person, I like animals and I like the wild, but I don't much care for people in general." Finally getting it open she stared rustling through it's contents. "I like bears most of all, and the snow, and storms. Ah! Here we go." Pulling out a medium sized black box she immediately set to rummaging through it making various noises of approval and disappointment all the while.

"What is that?"

"Red's care kit, I'm going to need it handy and well stock since I'm going to be serving you from now on."

"Is that really necessary?"

"Of course."

"Then, what is it you intend to do for me?"

"Anything I can do for you, whether that means protecting you, your family, your home, or your loved ones."

Shizuru noticed the oddly knowing look the young Rogue sent her at that before the dark child turned her attention back to the box and it's contents.

"I'll even extend that protection to the other Otomes if you like."

"You believe we Otomes need protecting?"

"An Otome must be a virgin in order to materialize a Robe, right? Besides you may be powerful but even a Guardian doesn't have eyes in the back of her head, so someone needs to watch your back for you, once in a while at least."

"You really do know quite a bit about Otomes then."

"Like I said before I only know what Chichiue used to tell me about Otomes and their Gems and Masters. He knew quite a bit, for an uncivilized Wylder."

"So then Ryubumon was a Wylder."

"Mm, he was the first true Wylder to ever rise amoung the ranks to become a true Crime Lord."

"I wonder what sort of man Kuma's father was?"

Kuma paused a moment before continuing her search. "It's a shame Aneki won't ever get to him know personally."

A knock sounded before the door opened slightly to allow Erstin to look around it at them. "Dinner's ready."

"Thank you, we'll be there soon."

.

"Ah, Kuma!"

"Huh?"

Mikoto sat at one end of the table waving emphatically. "Here, sit here!"

Kuma cast a glance at Shizuru.

"Go on."

She watched Mikoto strike a conversation with Kuma the instant the small preteen had sat down before taking her own seat near Haruka, Chie, and Natsuki. Looking around she noticed Nina and Erstin sitting together talking quietly, Mai of course was already sitting beside Mikoto as the younger girl talked up a storm. Nao herself wasn't sitting to far away from the rest of them. She continued to watch them for a moment more before turning her attention to her own meal.

.

"Kuma-_Kun_."

_Sigh_. "Like I keep saying, just Kuma is fine. Eh? _Sensei_?"

Yohko smiled down at dark teen. "Could you please come see me once your done? I like to do a more thorough examination on your body."

A frown. "Why?"

"I now have access to all the proper equipment and if you really do intend to serve Shizuru-_San_ then I should really start to look into your state of health as soon as possible."

"Hm. Oi, Aneki? Is this really necessary?"

"It would be for the best Kuma, after all, Yohko-_Sensei_ needs to learn how best to look after you as soon as possible."

Brown eyes turned back to face Yohko. "Didn't you already get a good look at this body of mine before hand? Especially while I was unconscious?"

Yohko shook her head. "I hadn't actually need to since your injuries weren't that extensive."

"So that's why no one realized the little bear was a girl?" Nao scuffed.

"Oi, oi."

"Do you know your way to the medical bay?"

"Kinda, Ers-Neechan explained it to me earlier. But..."

"Yes?"

"Haven't had a bath in a while, and even though I haven't been fighting either lately, I probably don't smell too great. Sorry."

"It's fine for you to take a bath before hand." Yohko smiled before heading off.

"Thanks."

"So the little savage actually wants to bathe? Will wonders never cease!" Nao quipped.

Kuma glared. "Keep it bug-breath and I'll end up showing you some real wonders of my own!"

"Oooh! Is that a promise teddy bear?"

"Teddy–!? Again with the 'teddy bear'! What's with you anyhow?!"

"I'm only–!"

"Ahaha, well those two seem to be getting along."

Nao and Kuma jumped up at that. "**Who's getting along?!**"

Kuma scowled at the red-headed HiME. "Ye gods, you're annoying!"

"'_Ye gods'?_ Where are you from? No one walks around saying stuff like 'ye gods'!"

"Will you just shut up already and leave me be?! What in Valhalla crawled up your's and died anyway?"

"Why you little–!?"

"Kuma," Shizuru called. "unless you hurry you'll never have enough time to properly bathe and change before seeing Yohko-_Sensei_."

"Ah, right." Then tossing a glare at the lime-eyed HiME. "We'll finish this later."

Nao shrugged. "Che, like I'll even bother taking a kid like you seriously."

"What hell is with that attitude–?!"

"Kuma."

"Hai, hai, I'm going, I'm going already!"

.

"Was that it?"

Yohko glanced at the small dark figure still sitting on the examination table. "Yes."

"That's really all you wanted? A few scans and measurements?"

"For now, I'll preform a more thorough exam on you later when it's more convenient."

"Ah, alright then?" Kuma murmured uncertainly. "So then we're done?"

"Mmhm."

"Guess I'll get going then."

"Goodnight Kuma."

"G'night Sensei."

.

"Kuma!" Mikoto called.

"Hm?"

"What did Yohko-_Sensei_ do?"

"Just took a few scans and measurements is all."

"Really?"

"Yep, that's it."

"I'm going to sleep, night Mikoto."

"Mm, night Kuma!"

"What, don't I get a good night?" Nao teased.

"...no."

"Stingy."

.

"I see." Mashiro sighed.

Shizuru and Haruka had gone to speak with the Queen as soon as they had finished dinner. Rena and Elliot were there beside the Queen, Elliot had already explained everything to Mashiro before hand herself. Natsuki as well stood near by having decided to sit in on the meeting in case she needed to report anything back to Fuka and the other HiMEs.

"Where is Kumahiko now?"

Haruka answered. "Yohko took her to do some tests on her."

"What do you intend to do with that child now, Shizuru-_San_?"

"There doesn't seem to be any reason not to actually keep her here, if it is alright with your majesty?"

"So you truly intend to take responsibility for Kuma-_Kun_?"

"Hai, and considering the alternatives, well..."

"I understand, the child may remain here with you in the palace for as long as you both desire."

Shizuru bowed. "Thank you, your majesty."

Haruka huffed quietly.

Shizuru glanced at her fellow Otome. "Is something the matter Haruka?"

"I still can't get over the fact that a child that young and small really believes that they could be of any real use to an Otome. As if that _gaki_ can actually stand before any of us, she wouldn't last a minute in a real battle."

"I wonder?..."

"You cant' possibly expect that shorty to actually be able to do it can you? I doubt she could even handle a Coral level Otome let alone one of us Meisters!"

"Elliot-_Han_? You're the most learned authority on the Free Nations, I have some questions I'd like to ask regarding some things that Kuma mentioned on the way here."

"I'll do my best to answer if I can." Elliot offered.

"Kuma made mention of some things such Tournaments, Regalia, and Surcoats, what is strangest of all is the that she compared all of that even Rogues in general to being not all unlike we Otomes."

"Ah, well, yes. In a way Rogues are actually quite similar to Otomes in that they have a strong need to establish a Contract with a Contractor or master once a Contract has officially been established it becomes the Rogues duty to protect their charge and follow their charges orders. They may sometimes act a body guard and/or do whatever it is that is required of them. Tournaments are basically the Rogues equivalent of a formal Butou while their Surcoats and Regalia are the Rogues version of a Robe and Element."

"Wait, are you saying-?" Haruka began skeptically.

"You didn't honestly think that the Free Nations were the only country left unscathed, did you? Slaves and Orphans are also said to roam their lands attacking and killing people, and it seems that some Rogues have the ability to fight these creature, maybe even kill them. Only in their case Rogues are often feared and hated by many for their natural born abilities, also a great many Rogues often die fighting these monsters off. I don't know much more than that, I still have much left to research."

"So I see. Chie."

"You called?" Chie asked seemingly appearing from no where.

"I'd like you and Elliot to find as much information on Rogues, the Free Nations, and even Kumahiko herself as you possibly can, as quickly as you can please."

"_Rokai_."

"Also, please inform Yohko-Sensei of the situation, I'd like to learn as much about our newest addition as we can for now."

"Hai."

"Shizuru, please learn what you can from Kumahiko personally."

"It would be my pleasure."

"Then you are all dismissed."

.

"Shizuru." Natsuki called as she caught up the Otome.

Shizuru smiled pleasantly. "Natsuki."

"What do you think about all this?"

Shizuru looked thoughtful for a bit. "I think–" She began but suddenly caught sight of an approaching Kuma. Pausing she took a moment to study the small odd little white scar on her nose that stood out starkly against the dark skin of young Rogue, bright yet somewhat solemn brown eyes, and the shock of short wheat blonde hair. Then she noticed the youngsters lack of bed clothes and smiled lightly. "I think we need to go shopping tomorrow."

Natsuki started to nod then stopped. "Wait, say what?"

* * *

**AN**

So what do you think? Is it moving to quickly in some places or not fast enough for you guys?

_Kuso_ - Basically a Japanese exclamation equivalent to saying "Shit!" or "Damnit!".

_Mou ii_ - "That's enough" or "enough" in Japanese.

_Gomen_ or _Gomen nasai_ - Japanese for "Sorry" or "I'm sorry".

_Arigato_ - Japanese for "Thank you".

_Gaki_ - An informal word meaning "Brat" or "Young punk" in Japanese.


	8. Chapter 8

First off let me just warn you for those of you who are racially sensitive, you will be seeing the word 'nigger' in here _once_. And just to put it out there, I am **NOT** racist in the _least_ _**bit**_, and I myself am actually biracial so please don't take offense, it's just what I imagined Kuma would say about herself so that's what I wrote.

Oh by the way this is the _**longest **_chapter I have _ever written_, so enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8

"I apologize for your lack of clothes, I should have thought about it earlier." Shizuru said from her seat near the rooms desk.

"It's fine," Came the youngster's gruff reply. "you had more important things to think about before hand. Besides" Kuma continued as she stepped out from behind a dividing screen now dressed in a spare pair of green cotton pajamas. "it's really no big deal."

"Then what would you have done if there were no night clothes to spare?" Shizuru asked in mild curiosity.

"Probably just slept naked." Kuma shrugged.

Shizuru found herself staring at the dark child with a feeling of mild shock though her expression hardly changed. "Ara, but would you not be embarrassed to be so underdressed in a Palace full of strangers? There are men here as well after all."

Kuma looked at her with an oddly solemn expression then spoke with a sense of seriousness that belayed her young age. "I'm well aware that there are such monstrosities as men, or even women, who would lay their hands upon a child, even if that child is even younger than I am, but I highly doubt that your Queen or even YOU, Aneki, would allow such bastards in here at all. And besides, if there's one upside to having a country full of people who view you as little more than a half-savage beasts, it's that no one will ever allow themselves to sink so low as to defile THEIR own purity by touching the likes of ME." Then turning away the dark Rogue continued with less severity. "Anyways, I may be young but I'm not so prudish that a little thing like nakedness is going to bother me much, though I do have a sense of decency at least."

"I see." Was all Shizuru said her mask of calm holding up though inside she felt a mixture of understanding, disgust, and even possible anger. This child, Kuma, was certainly no animal and despite the fact that Shizuru had barely even begun the get to know the child, she knew that Kuma was undeserving of her fellow countrymen's inherent loathing of her kind. True, Kuma did display some rather wild and animalistic traits, the child growled as easily as Natsuki herself was know to do so from time to time whenever she was feeling particularly annoyed or vexed but that did not make the icy HiME an animal because of her odd little habit.

Even Mikoto often showed some rather interesting quirks that made her seem more liken to an overgrown and humanoid cat than an actual human girl, yet no one had ever gone so far as to truly call her a beast. So why, why was it that this strange stormy child was seen as such an abomination? Had Elliot not said that Gypsies and Rogues were related in that Gypsies were descended from some of the first half-breeds of Freemen and Wylders? Yet no one seemed to look down on Gypsies as if they were nothing but mere animals. Shizuru obviously needed to speak with Elliot more on the topic of Rogues and their kinsmen more, if only to understand this child better in the future.

Standing she smiled down at the small child as Kuma moved to stand before her. Bidding a quiet goodnight she impulsively reached out to lightly muss the youngster's wheat blonde hair so like her own yet vastly different. Where as Shizuru's own blonde tresses were a cross between ash blonde and chestnut brown young Kuma's hair was such a pale color that only a few shades kept it from being considered platinum or even white. Initially she had expected Kuma's hair to be rough and course but found herself pleasantly surprised to realize that it more closely resembled crushed velvet in texture than she would have expected it to based on it's bristly appearance.

Kuma looked up at her curiously but made no complaint, simply murmured a quiet 'g'night' before moving to crawl into bed as Shizuru softly closed the door.

.

"So tell me again," Kuma deadpanned from where she stood beside Erstin and Nina as they watched Mai gushing over some, in her opinion at least, super cute clothes with Mikoto nodding emphatically in agreement while they were waiting for Shizuru and Natsuki to finish talking to a sales clerk nearby. "how _**exactly**_ did this turn into a group outing?"

"To be honest I have no idea." Nina stated simply looking bored.

In all truth none of them really understood why they had all come along when Shizuru had informed them that she would be taking Kuma out with her to buy whatever the young Rogue needed. Kuma had gripped at first insisting that she wouldn't need much at all really but Shizuru merely smiled a disarming smile and made no comment back. Somehow by the time the two of them had finished eating breakfast and gotten ready they had ended up being accompanied by not only Natsuki, though honestly her presence was somewhat expected, but Mai, Mikoto, Erstin, and even Nina as well.

Kuma simply sighed, she couldn't complain too much as after all, she was at least allowed to keep Red with her so long as he remained unsheathed and mostly out of sight in his sword bag. The only real problem she had was the fact that for the first half hour Mai and Shizuru had both tried to convince her into picking out girly clothes which the young Rogue overtly refused to do so. Well actual Shizuru had very little to do with that as it was mostly Mai who tried to bribe the small child into at least trying something on, but no, Kuma had remain stoutly obstinate throughout the whole ordeal until the busty redhead finally gave up.

"Were going." Natsuki called as she made her way to the door with Shizuru close behind.

"Finally." Kuma murmured following the two elder woman out with the others.

.

"I just don't understand why you don't want any cute clothes." Mai remarked as they made their way to a nearby tailor, one that was highly recommended by the store clerks from the last shop.

"What you see as 'cute' I see as annoying." Kuma quipped quietly.

"But why?"

"I won't be able to fight in a skirt and I don't imagine that it would be any easier in a proper dress let alone a yukata or worse a kimono. Besides, I've never worn any of that stuff before."

"You've never worn a dress?"

"Nope."

"Not once."

"Not once, ever."

"Well it's not nearly as hard to fight in a dress as you think or even while wearing a kimono."

"Actually I have to agree with Kuma." Natsuki spoke up. "It's not nearly as easy to fight in a kimono as some people," She looked pointed at Shizuru. "make it look."

Shizuru gave Natsuki her best innocent look but said nothing at that.

Natsuki gave her a small glare but it held no weight behind it of course.

.

A small bell jingled as they entered prompting a tall thin fop of a man to turn and greet them. "Hello dear ladies, welcome to my humble shop. How might I help you on this fine day?" Though his smile was enthusiastic it was obviously quit false.

Yet Shizuru stepped forward with a smile of her own, her usual mask remained unreadable as always. "I need some things tailored, hopefully you can help us?"

"Certainly, certainly. And, what is it that you need tailored?" His eyes roamed over them greedily as his mind imagined all of the finery such beautiful woman would ask for. But his smile faltered when his gaze fell on the small dark skinned child that the beautiful blonde motioned forward. The child stood there glaring at him as he took a moment to study the youth's current clothing. A simple pair of dark pants and black shoe, the child's shirt, _'Is he even wearing one?'_ the man wondered, remained unseen beneath a dark jacket.

"Ah..." The tailor hesitated a moment. "I'm sorry miss, but– We don't–" He looked down at the small child once more.

Kuma frowned deeper before growling. "What's a'matter old man, never seen a nigger child before?"

The man blanched almost instantly at that. Shizuru and the others were also quit stunned by Kuma's audacity, they had grown somewhat used to Kuma's cursing as it seemed a natural part of the Rogue's vocabulary and she had shown that she had the ability to hold back on the cursing but never had they heard the young Rogue utter something so downright _**vulgar**_ before. Such an Old World insult was not entirely forgotten unfortunately and there were even some nobles who were less than compassionate when it came to the many dark skinned inhabitants of the Free Nations yet very, VERY few of them would ever dare to use such a word to describe them.

"I-I'm sorry, I–"

Watching the man stumble over his tongue Natsuki realized where Kuma was coming from, this man really DID intend to refuse to serve them if Kuma was involved. Placing a hand on Kuma's shoulder meaningfully she gave the man a glacial glare, silencing him instantly. "Tell me where we can find a better tailor." She demanded coldly.

"What?! Well– I– Miss please! It's just that–"

Natsuki flicked her hair with her free hand before focusing frigid emeralds on the man once more. "It's Kruga, Natsuki Kruga."

The man paled visibly. "As– As in THE House of Kruga of Fuka?!"

Natsuki nodded silently still glaring.

"Then she–" He nearly pointed at Shizuru in his panic.

"Is Shizuru Fujiola."

"Oh god, I–"

"Just tell me where we can find a _proper_," She emphasized the word. "tailor so we can leave already."

The man nearly bit his tongue in his rush to do as he was told.

.

"Kuma!" Mai called in concern.

"What?!" Came the low growl.

"Are you okay?"

"...just peachy."

"Kuma..."

"What already? I said I'm peachy didn't I?!"

"But what you said."

"What did I say?"

"Don't make me repeat it, please."

Kuma growled again. "Fine, but what the hell else was I supposed to say, nothing? I'm not blind, I know the difference between when someone looks at me and sees ME and when all they see is my COLOR." A quiet huff, then "Let's just drop it and move on, alright? I wanna get this shopping stuff done as soon as possible."

.

They soon found themselves in the downtown part of the city where street vendors could readily be found on every corner hawking their wares and services and open air markets lined nearly every alleyway.

In no time they were seated in the back room of an almost quaint little shop listening the soft sounds of quiet violin being played. Kuma began humming in time to the music almost inaudibly. This seemed oddly out of character for the normally downright surly child and when compared to Kuma's usual growling voice her humming was surprisingly pleasant to hear.

Before any of them could question Kuma about her strange behavior an old woman strolled in confidently wearing dignified yet sensible clothing, a pale apron over a bright tiered skirt and dark shirt, which was somewhat out of place in Garderobe. What was most out of place was the brightly decorated fiddle and bow she carried in hands. Kuma perked up almost instantly at the sight of her which the others noticed.

She carefully set the instrument down on a nearby table before dusting her hands as she came to stand before them. "Welcome ladies, what can I do for you?" She spoke with a strange burr, her voice was almost lyrical but with a slightly darker timber, yet it was open and friendly none the less. Her hair impossibly seemed to cling to it's dark color, her skin as well appeared free of blemish though it's color was noticeable enough to announce her Freemen heritage. Her dark eyes swept over them each measuringly but stopped, blinked, then her eyes widened in surprise when they fell to Kuma.

Natsuki was half ready to say something to try and prevent a repeat of the earlier incident when the old women spoke.

"Well bless your soul! What in creations name are YOU doing here, little brother?"

Kuma smirked but it held an almost affectionate tinge to it. "I could ask you the same thing old mother, what's a Gypsy doing in Garderobe?"

.

The old woman shook her head smiled. "Imagine my surprise, not only do see a Rogue among nobles, but a HIGHLAND Rogue at that. How in the world did a _Majokari _end up in a Contract with a Meister Otome?"

"Bit of a long story that." Kuma paused a moment. "Do I really need to strip down to my underclothes?"

"It's the best way to get the most correct measurements possible."

Kuma sighed but nodded and continued stripping.

"_Majokari_?" Natsuki asked curiously.

Kuma paused reaching for the hem of her simple white shirt, her expression darkening. "A Witch is a kind of human born monster in the Free Nations, they run around in loose packs killing everyone they come across. Their extremely powerful and from what I've heard there are some Rogues that have the ability to fight them they also hunt them down and kill them, because of that Gypsies," Here she nodded to the elder woman. "have given us the nickname of Majokari or Witch Hunter."

"Wait I thought that Orphans and Slaves were the creatures that are terrorizing the Free Nations?" Natsuki was a little confused.

Kuma paused again. "What's an Orphan? And what are Slaves?"

"Eh? Well they're, ah..." Natsuki trailed off looking to Shizuru imploringly.

Taking the initiative Shizuru explained. "Orphans are the monstrous biological creatures plaguing Fuka, it is the job of the HiMEs" She nodded to Natsuki and Mikoto pointedly. "to fight and kill them. While a Slave is a more mechanical intelligent lifeform summoned by a Slave Lord who uses them to attack the citizens of Garderobe and it is our job," Here she looked to her fellow Otomes who nodded back. " to fight them as well. A Slave's Lord establishes a contract with one by bleeding onto a large obsidian gem thus establishing a contract similar to that of an Otome and Master."

"So what's a Witch?" Mikoto asked curiously.

A low dark growl issued from the dark Rogue as she all but tore her shirt off. "A bastardization of man and monster." Dropping down to sit flat she viciously took off her shoes. "They don't give a damn what they destroy so long as they destroy all of it. Women, children, elders, Common Freemen, Gypsies, Rogues, Wylders! Animals and even the wilderness!" Standing she kicked off her pants leaving her in nothing but her sarashi and what looked suspiciously like boxer shorts, though where she could have gotten them no one knew. "Those bastard destroy everything in their path without a damn care! I don't know where how they came to be, all I know is that they're born from humans somehow."

Something in Kuma's words rang a bell in Natsuki's mind, she turned to Shizuru who nodded but said nothing. The old woman cleared her throat and stepped forward, measuring tape in hand.

"Stand still and straight please." Kuma complied. "Widen your stance." Again Kuma moved.

Natsuki resigned herself to wait and talk to Elliot and Chie later with Shizuru. Though she felt embarrassed to see Kuma in so little clothing Kuma herself seemed to be unfazed so Natsuki took a moment to more closely study the Rogue. Kuma's upper body was mostly hidden beneath the plain white sarashi which covered her from the chest down seemingly disappearing beneath the boxers elastic waistband, her shoulders too were wrapped in the white cloth as well. Yet despite having the majority of her skin covered the skin that remained uncovered was plainly visible to Natsuki and she took the time to study it.

She soon found herself feeling a mixture of outrage, morbid curiosity, and sympathy. Kuma's bare legs and arms were covered in white scars of various shapes and sizes, some of them even crisscrossing each. She wondered how many more scars were hidden beneath the sarashi, then she began to wonder how **exactly **Kuma had managed to earn each of those scars and when. How much had it hurt when she was injured? How much did it **still** hurt her? Did the wounds ache even now?

She was begin to make herself sick as her stomach tied itself in knots with worry so she pushed the thoughts aside forcibly and focused on Kuma's physique instead of her scars. After a moment she had to admit that Kuma was obviously well built for one so young and small. She often took group baths with the other HiMEs, and even took them with the Otomes whenever she was in Garderobe, so she had seen Mikoto's body often enough to know how the young HiME was built. Mikoto was considered to be the physically strongest out of all the HiMEs, possessing a strength that was on par with even a Meister Otomes if not stronger, yet Mikoto's slight frame gave no hint in the least to the enormous amount of sheer power she truly possessed. She had yet to see just how strong Kuma really was yet looking at the young child she could start to believe that Kuma might actually be able to hold her own in a human fight at least.

Though short and small Kuma's body was not waifish in the least, Natsuki could not quite bring herself to call the child robust but it seemed to be the best word to describe the Rogue's build. Kuma's framework was a mixture of athletic and lithe, she was not overly muscular but her muscles appeared firm and solid none the less. Kuma's was a body that spoke of near constant exercise and a great deal of intense training.

Kuma gave a slight jerk as the old woman measured her inseam, her stomach muscles clenching tightly beneath the sarashi out of instinct. The old tailor murmured a quiet apology to which Kuma merely grunted. Moving on the old Gypsy soon begins to hum a quiet and oddly familiar tune.

"Arms." She sayed simply as she straightened. Kuma moved to comply uncrossing her arms and lifting them to be measured. The woman continued humming as she took the measurements for the sleeves, chest and waist as Kuma slowly relaxed.

"By the way child," The old woman murmured in her Gypsy burr. "I never did catch your name. Mines Moriko."

"Takehiko." Kuma replied absently.

"A 'Hero prince' are you?" Moriko chuckled.

"Actually it's 'Mountain' not 'Hero'."

"Next you'll tell me you're a wolf soldier." Moriko joked.

Kuma laughed with a surprisingly rich quality when compared to her normally rough voice. "Actually it's 'KUMAbushi'."

"And what a little one indeed!" Moriko laughed along.

"Even a little bear has claws and fangs though." Kuma looked pointedly at the still bundled Red who rested near to her feet.

"Indeed." Moriko grinned.

.

"So what exactly did ye have in mind for designs?" Moriko asked once she'd finished writing down Kuma's measurements.

Kuma, now fully dressed, turned to Shizuru for incite.

Shizuru smiled nodding slightly. "These are your clothes Kuma, your choice."

Kuma blinked then suddenly took on a thoughtful posse where she bowed her head, crossed her arms, and, oddly enough, cocked right her hip. When she finally spoke a few minutes later it was slowly as if she were trying to get her thoughts across. "I honestly don't care what the designs are so long as they're not too over the top, I'm a pretty simple kind of guy by nature after all so I don't like overly complicated stuff unless it's really necessary." She paused to scratch her head. "I don't need another Surcoat, this isn't Tournament and i don't want to risk anything, but–" Another pause to scratch her chin. "I'm not noble born but I am Highland bound, and I now serve under the name of Fujiola, I don't really understand what all that means but Aneki's name obviously carries a fair bit of weight behind it, so I guess I should somehow reflect that in someway." A quiet shift in weight, then. "I'll need something simple but not too plain or flashy either, I'm a Rogue after so I'll end up fighting sooner or later so I need the clothes to be able to keep up with me and take as much punishment as I can." A low sigh and a slouching of the shoulders. "I guess I really don't have any input about the designs really." A sudden smirk. "Though I'll give you fair warning. Try and put me in a dress or anything equally ridiculous and I won't forgive you. Ever."

Moriko smiled. "Fair enough, little brother. Now–" She took up a pen and pad. "I just have a few questions I need answered."

.

They left not too long after with Moriko promising to have some things ready for them if they came back later. Mai decided to do some really shopping for more food while they had time pointing out that–

"Between Mikoto and now Kuma we'll end up running out of food soon!"

Kuma shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not my fault I have a naturally fast metabolism."

"How can you eat so much?"

"Are you kidding? Mikoto eats as much as I do!"

"But that's normal for Mikoto!"

"Well it's normal for me too you know!"

"Hey Kuma!" Mikoto called from a nearby fish stall, waving the smaller girl over to her.

Kuma came to stand next to her. "What's up?"

"Look at this!" Mikoto suddenly picked something up and trust the poor creature at the blonde half-breed for the younger girls inspection.

_Pfft! _Kuma tried to choke back her laughter but soon failed and burst out laughing. "Wha-What the hell is that thing?! It looks like a giant fuzzy booger!" The poor creature did in fact look quite strange but it was in fact a rather large exotic hairy crab covered in bright red hair.

Mikoto could barely talk herself she was laughing so hard. "I don't know! But it looks funny!"

Kuma's mirth slowly came down, her laughter reducing to quiet chuckles before looking thoughtful. "I wonder if we can eat it?"

Natsuki didn't know whether to laugh or face palm at that.

.

Mai eventually called for a car to come and pick up the food she had bought and take it back to the palace. It actually took TWO cars to get all of the food, Mai had obviously gone a bit overboard, though she insisted that it really was a necessary precaution.

They eventually split into groups for a time, Mai following after Mikoto if only to keep a watchful eye on the walking bottomless pit, Nina and Erstin wandered about browsing through the various stalls admiring the wares of the market vendors, while Natsuki and Shizuru walked about with Kuma padding along behind them.

Kuma soon wandered off a little ways looking about with a bored kind of curiosity when Nina and Erstin rounded a nearby corner.

Erstin watched a small child, who couldn't have been more than five or six, wander past the dark youth sloppily eating a rapidly melting ice cream cone piled high with multiple toppings. Kuma suddenly started looking about turn her head this way and that until she seemingly found what she was searching for and started off.

Curious as to what exactly had managed to catch the short youngster's attention she followed with Nina by her side. Music caught her focus just as Kuma drew up short. Looking up she realized that the wheat blonde little Freeman had stopped few feet away from what seemed to be an alfresco style ice cream parlor. The music was coming from an elegant brown baby grand piano that was being expertly played by a middle aged man with greying hair he seemed to be wearing a similar uniform to the one that the servers were all wearing. Turning back to Kuma she caught a brief flash of child-like yearning before Kuma's usually ever present frown covered it up like a mask.

One of the servers glanced up catching sight of the dark child immediately and harshly sneered at the obvious foreigner before turning up their nose and walking away to murmur something to the others. Several more eyes turned and glared, little Kuma rocked back as if physically struck. Then squaring her shoulders the young Rogue spat at the out door parlor before turning on heel and marching off.

Glancing at each other in outright shook Erstin immediately made to follow after the little Rogue while Nina approached the shop with a stony glare.

She lost sight of Kuma before she could catch up with her, turning she watch Nina as she stonily reprimanded the parlor workers for their obvious behavior, it was entirely uncalled for.

Erstin was startled first by a women's shriek of–

"_**MY BABY?!" **_That was all but drowned out by the sounds of screeching tires and the scream of rending metal.

Whipping around Erstin took off at a Sprint with Nina close behind. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mai and Mikoto tearing down the street. Natsuki and Shizuru seemed to be no where in sight.

They had just about reached the street way when they heard Natsuki's normally cool voice rise in a distressed shout–

"**KUMA!?"**

.

Erstin and Nina burst through the crowd with Mai and Mikoto following a split second later, the sight that greeted their eyes was nearly enough to stop their hearts.

Erstin followed the trail of skid marks on the road with her eyes to find the vehicle which had caused them, a large SUV. A small brown haired child lay a few feet away staring in wide eyed terror as he lay trembling in a dark pool of his own urine. While a part of her was deeply relieved to see the child was alright that wasn't the source of her distress. The only thing that seemed to have kept the vehicle from running the child down was not it's own brakes or the driver's quick thinking.

No, what had apparently saved the child from a possible death, was one Takehiko Kumabushi. Beyond all possible belief the tiny Rogue seemed to be the only thing holding the SUV back, this was most apparent because the two front wheels of the car were not even _touching the road!_ Kuma was, impossibly so at that, not only holding the entire car which had to be nearly four or even _five_ times the small preteens own size but the blonde half-breed was also holding the front half of the vehicle a good _two feet off the ground!_

All of this was noticed in an instant as Erstin rushed forward with the dark youth's name on her lips.

"KUMA!" Was the collective shout as they rushed to the stormy preteen's side, all of them feeling torn between concern for Kuma, the obviously distressed child, and even the driver.

Kuma made a sound between a grunt and a growl as she dropped the SUV and jumped back only to collapse to ground, panting hard.

"Q-Quit yer screamin' damnit," _Cough _"Ahm- Ahm right h-here." Kuma panted, her usually gruff voice had now taken on a thick almost slurring accent.

"Kuma hold still, oh gods you're bleeding!"

Kuma held up her hands to inspect them, they were indeed bleeding. "Heh heh, whut," _Pant_ "else duh ya expec'? I jus'- jus' picked up a friggin' car!" Glancing about. "Wur's the kid?"

The now wailing child whom Kuma had saved was soon scooped up by his sobbing mother who fretted over him for several minutes. The SUVs driver seemed to choose that moment to stumbled out of the vehicle where he promptly began to vomit. Natsuki instantly rounded on him in a near rage.

Hoisting the man up by his shirt front she started yelling his face. **"What the hell did you think you were doing?! Do you have any idea what you've just done!"**

"I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry! I didn't–!"

Nina ignored the whole ordeal as she dropped down beside Erstin, with the other child obviously alright the important thing now was to make sure that Kuma was as well. She helped Erstin check for any major injuries while Kuma twitched and jerked as they tentatively poked and prodded her while lazily trying to swat their hands away. Nina was relieved to find that there was no major bone breakage. The bleeding of Kuma's hands was also beginning to stop. Glancing at the dark Rogues face she pulled up short, was it just a trick of the light or did Kuma's hair look _white_? She looked away blinking and when she looked back it was the same wheat blonde as always.

"Natsuki!? Put him down!" Mai shouted trying to pry the furious HiME off of the now shaking man. Mikoto stood by uncertainly, half of her wanting to help Mai while the other half wanted to help Natsuki.

"But Kuma–!"

"Ahm gonna be FINE Aniki. An' stop fussing already Neechan, ah ain't dying and ah ain't broken neither. Take a hell of a lot more 'an a half ton car tah do THAT much at least."

Shizuru carefully knelt down beside Kuma. "Erstin-_Han_?"

Erstin looked up appearing relieved. "It's alright, she's not in any immediate danger, she'll be fine if we can get back to the palace infirmary."

"Like Ah keep sayin' Ahm FINE already."

Shizuru nodded, her attention shifting to Kuma herself. "Takehiko, can you stand?"

"Sure."

"Good, Nina, contact the palace and ask them to please send a car, quickly. We–" Shizuru stopped short, staring. Kuma had raised her head to look up at her, but rather than being greeted by Kuma's normally cinnamon brown gaze she found herself staring into a clear and vibrant _pale blue_! Then Kuma blinked and the strange color seemed to have faded away like melting snow, returning to their natural shade of bright brown. Wrestling control of herself, Shizuru went on as if nothing had happened. "–need to get back to the palace so Yohko can take a look at you, Kuma."

Kuma nodded curtly but paused, turning this way and that searchingly. "Wait, where's Red?" The accent also seemed to be receding. "I need to find Red, I- I think I dropped him." Kuma tried to stand up and look but was held back by a calming hand.

"Be still a moment, we can find your sword later."

"No, I CAN'T loose him, he's a PART of me Aneki. So I–"

Shizuru shushed her softly, crimson eyes flicking up to try and spot the lost weapon. A flickering of white caught her eye and looking she found the missing sword but what made her stop short this time was the sight of white _steam _rising off the naked weapon.

Pushing her shock aside for later she addressed Kuma once more. "Red is fine it's not to far away, we will get it for you."

"Kay." Kuma murmured drowsily.

Rising gracefully Shizuru turned to address her blue haired companion. "Natsuki, that's enough." She said calmly.

"Shizuru?" At a nod from the Meister Otome Natsuki let the man go stepping back before turning her attention the Kuma who beginning to get up with Erstin and Nina's help.

Without looking at the man Shizuru said with perfect calm.

"For your own sake you should be grateful that these children are safe. Had either one of them been badly injured or worse you would be the one to pay the price."

The man paled visibly.

.

"What in the world were you thinking?" Haruka reprimanded. "You could have been killed."

Kuma sighed from her spot on the medical table where Yohko was trying to unravel the now sweat soaked sarashi in order to properly check for any more injuries. The doctor had already cleaned to cuts on her palms and bandaged her hands.

"Gaki!" Haruka shouted growing angrier at Kuma obvious attempt to ignore her.

Shizuru said nothing merely choosing to stand by and watch her curious young charge. The rest of the Otomes along with the three guest HiMEs stood by as well watching the scene unfold. The appropriate authorities had already been deployed to take care of all the necessary loose ends in their stead the instant they had returned to the palace.

Kuma growled. "How many damn times do I have to say it already? I'm FINE! I've taken worse hits than one damn car before, besides would you have preferred I stood by and did nothing? The bastard nearly ran that kid over for Pete's sake! Savage that I am I'm not nearly so barbaric that I can watch a kid die in front of me while there's anything I can do to help him!"

"Yes, well, I– DAMNIT GAKI!"

"I'M NOT A KID GODDAMNIT, SO STOP TREATING LIKE ONE! AND MY NAME IS TAKEHIKO KUMABUSHI!"

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH!"

"WATCH YOUR OWN DAMN MOUTH, NOISY! I'VE BEEN CUSSING FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER SO I'LL TALK HOWEVER I DAMN WELL PLEASE!"

"THAT IS NO WAY FOR A YOUNG LADY TO BEHAVE!"

"LIKE YOU HAVE ROOM TO TALK YA FRICKIN' BIG MOUTHED TONGUE TWISTER! AND I AIN'T NO FRICKIN' YOUNG LADY, I'M A DAMN BEAR WARRIOR!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST YOU LITTLE TWERP!?"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A 'TWERP'?! I'D KICK YER FREAKIN' BIG MOUTHED ASS IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU BEING A FRIEND OF ANEKI'S!"

"DO YOU HONESTLY THINK YOU CAN STAND UP TO A MEISTER OTOME?! YOU WOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO LAST THREE MINUTES AGAINST A CORAL IN A PROPER BUTOU!"

"SAY WHAT YOU–?! OW, WHAT THE FU–!?" Kuma jerked as Yohko's hands brushed across a sore spot on her ribs while continuing to unwind the ridiculously long sarashi.

"If the two of you are quiet finished I need to give my patient here a thorough check right now so if all of you could just leave for now, it would be most helpful." Yohko had phrased her words like a polite request but it was obviously an order.

.

Tense silence reigned as Yohko carefully poked and prodded Kuma in search of any broken bones in case Nina and Erstin had over looked one, not that she doubted the girls abilities, and was relieved when she found none but had Kuma strip down further before having her climb into the scanner to look for internal injuries.

Once finished she checked the results and luckily the computer had found none. Afterwards she took a blood sample, checked Kuma's blood pressure, and went through all the motions of a full physical exam all the while trying to ignore how the massive amount of scars no the small child's body made her innards squirm.

Once finished Kuma slowly dressed but not before she'd re-wrapped herself in a new sarashi using the bandage roll that Yohko had given her on request. Picking up Red who lay nearby she made as if to leave before Yohko's voice stopped her.

"Kuma, before you go, is there anything I should know about you, any particularities?"

"Like I said before, Doc–" Yohko felt oddly amused at the sound of her knew nickname. "I don't have any allergies or nothing."

Yohko shook her head. "I'm not talking about allergies, what I mean is. Are there any major differences between a Rogue and other people in general. I'd hate to accidentally mistake something that is normal and natural for you for some kind of illness or anything."

"Is that all you wanted? You should have just said that in the first place Doc." Kuma looked thoughtful. "Well for starters, there are two different kinds of Rogues, Highland and Lowland both are completely different from each, almost as different as a Wylder Freeman is from a Common Freeman and a Common Freeman from a Gypsy Freeman."

"How so?"

"Well a Highland Rogue is born from a Highland Wylder and a Common Freeman while a Lowland Rogue is born from a Lowland Wylder and a Common Freeman."

"What are the differences then?"

"Well Highland Wylders live in the Wylder Highlands of course and that's way up on the Thunder Mountains which are surrounded in thick forests. The seasons there change pretty dramatically so basically everything that lives in the Highlands has adopted a pretty major way of adapting to the changes in order to blend in and survive better. During the summer months everything is dark and the temperatures are high but during the winter months everything is pale, usually some kind of white and it gets unbearably cold."

"Wait, so when you say that everything has adapted to these changes are you talking about just the animals and flora?"

"Well yes but the Wylder tribesmen too."

"So how have they adapted then?"

"Well they change color and some of them go into hibernation I think."

"Do you mean like a chromatic response?

"Say what now?"

"Sorry what I mean by chromatic response is when an animal changes their color by shedding or molting in order to better blend with a seasonally changing environment. Like how certain rabbits and foxes are one color during summer and change to another during winter."

"Oh."

"So do you mean to say that these Highland Wylders do that as well?"

"Well yeah, how else do you expect them to survive on a mountain covered in snow when every other creature is as white as that?"

"But how? Biologically speaking a human should not have the ability to even DO that."

"Well 'biologically speaking' a Wylder tribesman is not the same as a normal human."

"Do YOU do that Kuma? Change colors I mean?"

"Yeah, but it's no big deal. It's kind of annoying really since I usually only enter Tournaments in my winter morph."

"How?"

"How what?"

"How do you change?"

Kuma scratched her head. "To be honest I don't really know. For me, I guess it's like I go to sleep one night and when I wake up later my hair, skin, and eyes have changed."

"Hair, skin, and eyes? Why do you change so dramatically?"

"Cause that's just my nature."

"So I presume that all Highland Rogues go through this, metamorphoses, as well?"

"Yep."

"How fascinating! What else can you tell me?"

"Well, let's see."

.

Yohko walked into second conference room in the palace where she found herself joined by six Guardian Otomes, the three HiMEs, and of course the Queen along with Rena and Elliot.

"How is she?"

Yohko turned to give Rena a reassuring smile. As a mother herself, she was deeply concerned for any and all children in the palace and not just her own daughter Arika. "Kuma is doing just fine, the worst she received were some bruised ribs and some minor lacerations on her palms as well as some minor abrasions on her arms. Nothing life threatening in the least."

"So, Kuma's alright?" Mai asked just to be sure.

"She'll be just fine."

Mai sighed while Mikoto latched onto her nodding happily.

"Told ya Kuma would be alright Mai! She's stronger than looks!"

"The only thing that concerns me now are the far too numerous and varying scars that cover her body."

"I wanted to ask about those earlier," Came the husky voice of one Natsuki Kruga. "we saw them when she was getting her measurements at the tailors, they were all over her arms and legs."

"Her upper body as well."

"What?"

"The most devastating ones are on her torso. The cause of her many scars varies greatly to a degree that is quit frightening. She's been stabbed, shot, bludgeoned, whipped, burned, and subjected to countless amounts of yet more trauma. She's also suffered several breakages the likes of which SHOULD have been quit crippling yet her body is as sounds as a perfectly healthy child, if not more so!"

This news came as something of sharp slap in the face as everyone present finally began to realize the full weight of the situation with Kuma.

"Is- Is she really that bad?"

"By all accounts she shouldn't even be _alive_, let alone fully _conscious_. That kind of massive amount of repeated physical trauma to the human body would have reduced any other typical person to a vegetative state at the very _least_ if it didn't _kill_ them first that is. Yet against all _possible_ odds she is alive, healthy as a colt, _and_ completely sane as well. She's incredibly lucky that she isn't a normal human."

"What do you mean? She IS human, isn't she?"

"Well, yes, but, well... I had a talk with Kuma earlier before I let her go. I wanted to be prepared for as much as possible rather than make a simple mistake by perceiving something that may be normal for a healthy Rogue as something dangerous when it's not. According to Kuma she's a Highland Rogue and has apparently inherented the unique physiology of her father who himself was a Highland Wylder."

"That's what the Gypsy Moriko called Kuma, a Highland Rogue."

"What good does that do us–?" Haruka started but Elliot suddenly slapped her forehead.

"Of course how could I not have noticed!?"

"You know about Highland Rogues I take it?" Yohko asked.

Elliot smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Sensei, I would have told you earlier if I had realized just what kind of Rogue Kuma is."

"I still don't see how that's important." Haruka huffed.

"Highland Wylders have lived in the Wylder Highlands up around and on the Thunder Mountains for centuries, long before any other people began to settle in the Free Nations so they've had a long to time adapt to the environment there the same way animal species and even the human species itself has changed and adapted over all the countless millennia since we first evolved."

"So?" Nao asked feeling irked.

Yohko took over here. "So much like the animals that share their habit they too have developed a unique way of surviving in their extreme environment. Just as some mammals seasonally shed their coat in order blend in with their changing surroundings so to do the Highland Wylder and the Highland Rogues have also inherited this particular trait."

"But that's impossible, no human can–"

"Wait." Nina murmured. "Earlier when Ers and I were checking Kuma for injuries her hair looked, well, _white_ for a moment."

"What, you mean Erstin's?"

Nina shook her head. "No, Kuma's, but then I blinked and it was suddenly back to normal." Then turning to her companion since childhood. "Did you notice it Ers?"

It was Erstin's turn to shake her head this time. "I didn't see anything all."

"You must been have imagining things." Haruka deduced nodding.

"Ah! But I was probably just to busy making sure Kuma was alright to notice anyways!" Erstin quickly tried to defend Nina's honesty.

"Ara, actually now that you say that," Shizuru looked thoughtful. "Takehiko's eyes looked blue for a moment when she looked at me before she blinked and they changed back."

"...I didn't see that." Nina admitted while Erstin agreed with a silent shake of the head.

"Is that normal then?" Chie wondered.

"...Not to my knowledge, no." Elliot murmured.

"Did you notice anything else?" Yohko asked.

"Not about Takehiko, no, but her sword–"

"_Akai Shi_." Chie offered helpfully. "What about it?"

"It was steaming."

A pause, then–

"Say what?"

Mashiro chose this moment to finally speak up. "Chie, Elliot, have either of you found anything at all yet?"

"No your Majesty but my sources are currently using all of their resources and methods to dig up anything and everything that has to do with Ryubumon, his clan, and of course Kuma. They should report in soon with something."

Mashiro nodded simple as the meeting continued on.

.

A low humming could be heard in throughout the rather spacious palace bathhouse. Had anyone bothered to check they would have found Kuma in a somewhat usual position as she permitted her normally tense muscles to finally relax while she soaked in the natural hot spring water of the bath. Having found a somewhat conveniently built-in shelf to sit on the first time she used the bath allowed her to lean back against the edge and openly relax with only the tops of her shoulders up exposed while the rest of her body remained hidden beneath the steaming waters surface. Head tilted back she lazily draped her arms along the lip of stone bath, they were positioned in such a way that her hands were able to dangle over the edge just enough for the tips of her fingers brush the surface of the water. Though she made sure to keep her bandage perfectly dry. Red of course lay just behind her head his handle well withing reach.

It was from Kuma that the oddly contented sound was originating from as she hummed a familiar melody. What was even stranger for Kuma was the fact that really was starting to feel content, if only by just a small bit. But she simply chalked it up as the remnants of her earlier adrenaline high after her little stunt at the market place. She always felt oddly calm after using her abilities.

Still humming she flicked the steaming water with her fingers but paused as she took a breath, then another this time scenting the air. This scent was unknown so it wasn't one of the others but it seemed to fit right in with the palace since she had caught very faint remnants of it before during Nina and Erstin's tour. Trying again just to make sure she caught a second scent, there were two of them, and both female as far as she could tell. She went back to humming though she shifted subtly in order to better reach Red in case there was a problem, though she didn't bother to open her eyes. Her sense of smell was exceptional, much better than any other humans and even better than most of the few other Rogues she had met in her life. She would be able to smell their intentions, their _emotions_, as soon as they felt them.

A single set of foot steps came in and with them they brought a stronger scent. Breathing more deeply to get a better feel for it She decided it's owner was older, much older than herself and even older than her Aneki's, if only by a tiny bit.

"Oh my, well I certainly didn't expect anyone to join us. So who might you be?" Kuma's ears perked up at the gentle voice, while not quite as obviously accented it sounded surprisingly similar to Aneki's.

Pausing mid hum she opened her eyes, turning her head to watch the towel clad woman as she approached the Olympic sized bath. After taking the older woman's appearance in she realized that she even kind of LOOKED a bit like Aneki. Albeit this woman's hair and skin were lighter than Aneki's and her eyes were violet instead of crimson. Cinnamon eyes flickered up to the three curious dots on the woman's forehead but she dismissed their oddness and instead decided to answer this strange woman.

"Takehiko Kumabushi."

"Really?" The other woman smiled almost lazily at that. "Well then Kumabushi-_San_, I'm Ahn, Ahn Lu."

.

They filed out slowly one by one with each of their minds weighed down by their own thoughts. Mashiro went to her private chambers with Rena in tow while the others sort of loitered about, unsure of what to do.

"I never–" Natsuki stumbled. "I mean I just–" She growled clenching her fists. "Just what kind of parent lets their child get hurt like that?!"

"Natsuki..." There really was nothing that she could say to that, Shizuru had begun to wonder the same things herself. She now had a responsibility to a child she knew next to nothing about with needs that she as of yet did not know how to fulfill or if she even _could_ fulfill them at all. A child who seemed bound and determined to serve_ her_. She was _still_ trying to fully wrap her mind around that concept.

"Yeah, well," Nao put her arms behind her head, her expression impassive. "It's no use worry about something like that."

Haruka rounded on her instantly. "HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?"

Nao bristled immediately and retaliated. "LIKE WHAT? I'M SAYING THAT WITH THAT BRATTY LITTLE TEDDY BEARS ATTITUDE WE MIGHT NEVER FIND OUT!"

"THEN WHAT ARE SAYING? WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT THIS?!"

"JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO? THAT ANY OF US CAN DO? WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HER HAPPENED BEFORE WE MET HER SO THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT!"

Nina surprised them with her words. "Nao actually has a point."

"How can you say that?! Are we supposed to just do nothing?!"

"I am NOT saying that we do nothing." Nina sighed looking somewhat irritated. "I'm saying that there really is nothing we can do about Kuma's past. What has happened has happened and there is nothing to be done about it. All we can do is somehow help make the most of Kuma's life as it is now and maybe as it will be in the future. Hopefully if there really is something wrong that we can fix Kuma will come to us for help, but..." She trailed off here, there was no need to say anymore, they were all beginning to grasp Kuma's difficultly independent personality.

They all nodded acknowledging Nina's clear logic, but, it was still difficult to swallow for them.

Nao huffed. "Well whatever, I need a bath. All this drama's making me tense."

Mai perked up a little at that. "Good idea, I think I'll join you."

"Me too!" Mikoto piped up.

After talking amongst themselves they all agreed to meet up in the baths if only to spend time relaxing among friends.

Elliot turned to leave, saying quickly. "I'm just, gonna go get Rena, she might like to come too."

Erstin smiled at her cousin. "Tell her to bring Arika-_Chan_ with her."

"I will!" Elliot took off down the hall.

.

"Ahn, huh?" Kuma murmured. "Can't say I've heard of you as of yet _Ane-San_." Glancing at the doorway. "Where's the other one?"

Ahn looked up at that pausing to sit down in the hot water. "What other?"

Kuma felt her muscles begin to tense up. "There were two of you that came in, where is she?"

Ahn looked surprised. "She's in the washroom, but, how did you know?"

Kuma relaxed slightly, Ahn didn't mean any harm she could smell that much. She tapped her nose before answering. "My sense of smell is really strong, better than any of my other senses, I could smell both of from here."

Ahn cocked an eyebrow but smiled just as lazily as before. "Really now?" She settled down on a lower shelf on the other side of the bath, shifting to get comfortable while adjusting her towel. She returned her attention back to Kuma. "I'm a bit surprised you haven't heard of me at all to be honest. But then again, I haven't really heard of you either." She wasn't about to say more when someone else walked in.

"Ahn-_Oneesama_?"

Ahn looked up and smiled indulgently at her own small companion, a young towel clad girl with long, semi-wild pale blonde and bright aquamarine eyes. "Ah, done already I see."

The girl nodded. "Hai, Oneesama."

Turning back to Kuma, Ahn indicated the girl with a hand. "I'd like you to meet my niece, Sara Gallagher."

Sara bowed politely murmuring an equally polite "How do you do."

Kuma flushed instantly, turning an _adorable_ shade of rose, bowing her head quickly while stuttering her own, somewhat awkward, "H-How do you do."

Ahn's smile widened at that. _'This just might be interesting.'_

* * *

**AN**

Man this chapter was _**UBER**_ _long_. But hurray for epic chapters! Hopefully you enjoyed it. ;)

You guys still there by the way? Not to complain but I ain't heard much from anyone in a while so I'm starting wonder if anyone even bothers to read my work at all. *Shrugs* Well review if you wanna, it's always great to hear what you guys think of it so far.

_Majokari_ - I THINK it means "Witch hunter" in Japanese. (At least I certainly hope it does.) ^^;

_Akai Shi_ - Means "Red Death" in Japanese also the real official name of Kuma's sword.

The name Takehiko means either 'Mountain prince' or 'Hero prince' depending on how it is interpreted, where as Kumabushi means 'Bear warrior'.

Yukata and Kimono - I highly doubt there's anyone among you who don't have at least SOME idea of what these are. Lol. =)

Just in case some of you are reading this and going "What the hell? _'Healthy as colt'_? The hell does that mean?! I thought her name meant bear or something?" in my opinion, and Yohko's too of course, Kuma is much to young to be considered a 'horse'. So there ya go!

_Ane-San_- Yet another word meaning "Elder Sister" in Japanese. Although this is tied more to the Yakuza as _Ane-Sa__n_ is a title usually reserved for the wife of the Boss. On a side note _Aneki_ and _Aniki _are usually used by gangs and delinquents.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks so much for the reviews and I'm so sorry I took so long to update.

Kukri-han: That's great to hear! I was beginning to wonder if I was doing any good what with throwing Kuma into the Mai HiME/Otome mix. As for the pairings, yes I realize I am taking a ridiculously long time in bringing them to light and I admit I do tend to focus on Kuma a bit too much for the most part, but I'm working on that. In my defense, it's incredibly hard to appropriately, what's the word?, incorporate the relationships correctly and integrate them into the story without making them seam to rushed or worse, doing it in a half-assed manner. But don't worry! I will eventually give you what I promised and hopefully do each pairing justice. Also Kuma is the only character I'm fully familiar with and the story does kind of revolve around her but hopefully the farther along I get into the story the less I'll focus on her and we'll have more fluff between the couples.

Like now for instance! At least that's what i hope? *Shrugs*

* * *

Chapter 9

Shizuru entered the bath with Natsuki but paused mid-conversation when she caught sight of the other three who were already there. "Ara, Anh-_San_, Sara-_San_, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Anh smiled. "We arrived a little while ago and decided to take a bath before seeing the rest of you." She glanced across to the far side of the pool-like bath. "And this adorable little teddy bear has been keeping us company."

"Ara, Takehiko? I," She paused, was Kuma, blushing? "was beginning to wonder where you had run off to."

Kuma cheeks were indeed a dusky rose color though she managed to keep from stuttering. "'Lo Aneki, Aniki."

"Kuma..." Natsuki seemed hesitant so Shizuru decided to take the initiative and approached her young charge, carefully climbing into the steaming water before making herself comfortable on a lower ledge near to the dark preteen. Natsuki settled down beside her.

The others soon followed, each expressing their own surprise at the sight of their unexpected guests as well as the newest edition to the palace. They exchanged polite 'Hellos' and made small talk for a time before falling into a relaxed if slightly strained silence.

Rena and Elliot were the last pair to arrive having needed to take more time to bathe a rambunctious little Arika. Upon spotting Kuma who stuck out due to her darker coloration the little girl ran right up the older child, nearly losing her towel in the process.

Kuma quickly snatched up Red who's blade was still naked less the small child accidentally hurt herself with it.

Arika giggled brightly. "Your funny looking, _Niichan_!" She reached out trying to touch Kuma as if to see if her color would come off like paint.

Kuma jerked back from the touch. "O-Oi!" She nearly fell into the water fully but managed to balance herself before she could get her bandages wet. Unfortunately she wasn't able to stop Arika from taking hold of her head and rubbing her face in her short hair.

Arika giggled even more at that. "You're really soft too!"

"Arika!" Rena scooped up her wayward child offering an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Kuma-_Kun_, she's just friendly."

Kuma looked at them warily. "So the little rugrats yours, huh? Figures."

Rena blinked. "Yes, her names Arika, Arika Yumemiya." Glancing down at a still giggling Arika she indicated Kuma with one hand. "Arika-_Chan_, this is Kuma, Takehiko Kumabushi."

Arika waved excitedly. "Hi Niichan!"

"Ah, mm." Kuma nodded uncertainly stilling watching the child with a mixture of confusion and wariness as Rena moved around to the shallow side of the bath where she proceeded to settle down with her daughter on her lap. "Well, at least she doesn't reek." Kuma scratched her head.

Rena looked up sharply. "Pa-pardon me?"

"It's not an insult Neesan. I mean she doesn't smell like chemicals. Some of you do and it _reeks_, I can smell you all from here." She screwed up her face, something that looked oddly cute, kind of like an upset teddy bear. "To be honest it's starting to give me a headache."

"Oh, well we use an all natural herbal soap since it's much more gentle on sensitive skin and I didn't want to take a chance incase Arika had any allergies to commercial soap."

"Well that explains the lack of obvious scent I suppose. Baby soap, right?"

"Ah, well yes."

Kuma's head suddenly cocked. "So why do I smell oatmeal then?"

"That would be mine, the oatmeal acts as–" Rena started.

"An exfoliate, I know." Kuma finished for her.

"So your sense of smell is that strong? You didn't say anything about it earlier." Yohko pointed out from her side of the bath.

"I did say that a Rogues senses are better than most humans though, it's just that MY sense of smell is even better than most Rogues."

"How much better?"

"She could smell us before we even came in here, she even knew we were female." Ahn spoke up.

"What?" Yohko looked confused but Chie leaned forward eagerly.

"You're THAT good?"

"Actually I'm better than that. My tracking skills are downright legendary among Rogues and Gypsies."

"Why's that?" Chie asked.

Kuma glanced her way thoughtfully. "You ever heard of a Rogue who managed to track a man in a mid-winter blizzard?"

Chie looked a little surprised at that. "Yes I have, why, are your as good as they are?"

Kuma smirked. "Actually you're looking at her."

"YOU'RE the Rogue who tracked the rapists!?"

"Wait, what? What rapist?!" Haruka asked looking ready to do something Haruka-ish.

"A Gypsy man from another troop sought me out and asked for my help, seemed some bastard had been going around raping the girls in their troop and they had no way of finding out who it was so I said I'd help him."

Nao spoke up next. "Wait, just like that, you agreed?"

Kuma cinnamon colored gaze turned to the red-haired HiME. "Whether it makes sense or not all Gypsies and Rogues are related by heritage so we tend to think of one another like cousins of a sort. So having a Gypsy ask me for a favor is like having a brother or sister ask you for help."

"So what happened?" Chie prompted.

"I hung around for a few nights, till I managed to trace the scents I found where the different crimes happened." Kuma's fist clenched as she growled. "Turned out it wasn't just one but three of them. We managed to catch two of them but the third one ran, it was mid-winter and a blizzard rose up in the middle of the chase. The others lost sight of him, I wasn't about to let him roam free so I tracked him down. Found him maybe five hours later way out in the middle of a frozen swamp buried under about six feet of snow in a cave beneath a hollowed out tree."

"What happened after you found him?" Natsuki this time.

"Gypsy law took over from there and the troop chose me to carry it out."

"What's Gypsy law?" Nao asked. "It's not like any of us are really well versed in it." But Chie and Elliot looked disturbed. Nao caught sight of their expressions. "What's with you two?"

Chie glanced at Elliot before explaining. "Gypsies are highly protective of a woman's innocence, they believe that all women, and men, should save themselves for their spouses so sex before marriage is completely forbidden. There isn't a person alive, save their spouse or spouse-to-be, who is permitted to touch them below the waist. The price for breaking that law through rape is high."

"Meaning?" Nao prompted further.

Elliot took over. "Any man who rapes someone is immediately castrated, their thumbs, middle, and pinky fingers are all cut off as well. Normally the consequences alone are enough to prevent a rape from happening though."

The all looked equally disturbed at that. Then Mai realized what Kuma had said before. "So wait, they chose YOU to do that!? Just how old were you?!"

"Well yeah, normally the responsibility falls on the father of the victim or their brother, but since I was the one who caught them they figured I should do I. And I'd say I was about, what, eight winter's old I guess." Kuma shrugged.

"WHAT?!"

Kuma blinked at that. "What? It was no big deal, nor was it the last one I had to do."

"So when you threatened to take care of Takeda 'Rogue Style' at Fuka palace you meant?.."

"Actually I only intended to take his thumbs and fingers."

"Why only those?" Nao asked morbidly fascinated.

Kuma shrugged again. "Castration is reserved for actual rapes, while taking away those particular fingers prevents a man from pleasuring himself at all. And the disfigurement is usually enough to frighten away most potential partners as well." All of this was said with a straight face in perfect matter-of-factness.

Silence met her statement.

"A- Ano," Erstin stuttered slightly. "so what- what were you doing earlier?"

Kuma cocked a pale blonde brow. "Say what now?"

"Um, with Anh-_San_ and Sara-_Chan_." She clarified simply.

Needless to say they were all quite shocked when Kuma suddenly turned a downright _adorable_ shad of rose making the white scar on her nose stick out even more than usual.

"Oh ho." Chie grinned mischievously. "Must of been something incredible. Who would have guessed Kuma could _blush_ of all things?"

Kuma flushed darker. "SHUT UP, CHIE-_NIISAN_! And I didn't do anything!"

Chie's grin widened. "Oh really? Maybe you did 'this and that'?"

Kuma had turned downright maroon at that. "CHIE-_NII_!"

Chie practically howled with laughter at that with the others all joining her in her mirth.

.

"Geeze." Kuma huffed still lightly blushing even after the laughter had subsided. "Honestly I'm only going to be _thirteen_ this winter, I'm not old enough to even begin thinking about _**that**_."

Chie was still chuckling. "Sorry, sorry, you were just too cute to resist!"

Kuma growled at that. "I am NOT_ cute_! I'm a damn bear warrior!"

Chie just flashed a quick, cocky grin.

"Ara, if I have to agree with Chie, Takehiko blushes almost as cutely as my Natsuki."

It was Natsuki's turn to flush this time. "Sh-Shizuru!"

Nao snorted. "It's your own fault teddy bear since you were te first one to think that."

"Shut it web head, just cause I'm young doesn't mean I'm totally ignorant to certain things."

"Oh, like what?"

"I just spent three years in a contract with the showmaster of a Gypsy troop and you honestly expect me NOT to know a thing or two about adults? Gypsy are conservatively defensive when it comes to personal things but that doesn't mean they don't tease and flirt like there's no tomorrow."

That drew Chie's attention again. "Really now?" She was grinning a bit.

"You do realize that all Gypsies bathe naked, right?" Several pairs of eyes dipped down subconsciously at that in a mixture disbelief and faint curiosity. "My face is farther north than that!" Kuma growled. The eyes snapped back up, some of them even had the decency to blush a little. "Geeze, just cause I'm not such a prude that a little thing like nakedness would bother me doesn't mean that I have no sense of shame and modesty!"

"Right right, whatever." Nao brushed her off.

"I almost forgot." Ahn started. "We interrupted you earlier and I apologize for that." Sara nodded her agreement.

"Eh?" Kuma looked confused before understanding seemed to dawn on her. "Oh that." She waved it off. "It's no big deal really, most people wouldn't even deem it worth apologizing for actually."

"Oh, now what have you done Kuma?" Chie looked ready to break out in a wide grin once more.

Kuma looked at her oddly. "Nothing, I was just humming earlier before they came in."

"Again?" Natsuki looked faintly curious. "You were humming at the tailors earlier as well. What were you humming this time?"

"Same song as before actually." Kuma flicked the water with a finger.

Shizuru was a bit curious herself know. "And what song was that? It felt strangely nostalgic."

Kuma cocked her head at that. "Really? It's an Old World song so I'm a bit surprised you'd recognize it at all since Old World music is usually most popular among Gypsies. It's called _Que Sera, Sera_."

"_Que_?" This time it was Shizuru who cocked her head quizzically. Natsuki thought it strangely cute but brushed it off quickly.

"It's Old World Spanish when translated it means _Whatever Will Be, Will Be._"

"Are there any lyrics?"

"Yes."

"Do you know them?"

"Sure."

"..." Shizuru stared at her young Rogue expectantly.

Kuma stared back curiously. "...?"

"Would Takehiko care to sing them for us?"

"Eh? Well I guess I could..."

_Pfft! _"Can you even sing with that voice of yours?" Nao all but sneered.

Kuma glared at the irksome HiME. "I can sing."

"Then please, by all means, sing." Nao said sarcastically.

Kuma frowned a moment before taking a deep breath and letting out slowly, a low hum soon followed before her voice rose softly in song. Despite Nao's teasing, Kuma's singing voice was actually in stark contrast to her normal one. Rather than the childish rough growl her voice now sounded more a vocal example of raw brown sugar. It was still unrefined but it was obvious that with age and practice it would grow to be quite something.

"_When I was just a little girl_

_I asked my mother, what will I be_

_Will I be pretty, will I be rich_

_Here's what she said to me."_

After they got over their initial shock at actually hearing Kuma sing they each sat back and relaxed. Even little Arika quieted down enough to listen rather than chatter away to her mother and Elliot. The song was sung slowly almost tenderly.

"_Que Sera, Sera,_

_Whatever will be, will be_

_The future's not ours, to see_

_Que Sera, Sera_

_What will be, will be."_

Erstin hesitated before discreetly trying to reach for Nina's hand under the water. But she pulled back just as their hands touched, flushing bright pink.

"_When I was young, I fell in love_

_I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead_

_Will we have rainbows, day after day_

_Here's what my sweetheart said."_

Needless to say she was quite shocked when she felt Nina suddenly grasp her hand instead. She shyly looked up into the amber eyes of her childhood friend and found Nina smiling softly back at her as her hand being gently squeezed. She smiled back shyly before looking away while blushing darker, but looked wholly content as she sat back to listen.

"_Que Sera, Sera,_

_Whatever will be, will be_

_The future's not ours, to see_

_Que Sera, Sera_

_What will be, will be."_

Elliot glanced at Rena who looked perfectly happy to sit there with her daughter on her lap listening to Kuma's song. Glancing about she noticed Nina and Erstin sitting unusually close together with matching smiles of easy contentment. Mikoto had of course attached herself to a still towel clad Mai, the somewhat surprising thing was the sight of Mai's own arm wrapped around the slightly younger girls shoulders both of them wearing smiles of their own. Chie looked to be dreaming of a certain Fuka maid, even Haruka seemed to be thinking of her own certain someone and Yohko seemed unusually thoughtful. Even Natsuki was smiling comfortably as she relaxed beside a softly smiling Shizuru, both of them looking perfectly happy in each others company. The only ones who weren't paired up with anyone in particular were Ahn, Sara, and Kuma herself, though none of them looked the least bit upset with that.

Glancing back at Rena she hesitated to say something but decided to brush it off instead, silently berating herself for being foolish enough to still be chasing after Rena even after all these years.

"_Now I have children of my own_

_They ask their mother, what will I be_

_Will I be handsome, will I be rich_

_I tell them tenderly."_

She was understandably shocked when Rena leaned over to softly peck her cheek. Glancing over at her childhood friend and love she found Rena looking forward at nothing but smiling softly none-the-less with a light blush on her cheeks.

"_Que Sera, Sera,_

_Whatever will be, will be_

_The future's not ours, to see_

_Que Sera, Sera_

_What will be, will be."_

.

"You should sing more often."

Kuma glanced at Chie for a moment still humming softly and shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"You sing very well for someone so young." Yohko admitted.

"And cute." Ahn teased Kuma only blushed a little at that but then Ahn turned to Sara. "What do you think, Sara-_Chan_?"

Sara nodded. "I liked it, it was a good song and Kumabushi-_San_ sings well."

Kuma's blushed darkened immediately. "Kuma." Came the low grunt.

"Pardon?" Ahn asked.

"You can call me Kuma, if you want that is."

"Oh my, we can't call you Takehiko?"

"Aneki calls me that." Kuma pointed out.

"Aneki?" Ahn looked curious at that.

"Kuma calls Shizuru 'Aneki' and Natsuki 'Aniki'." Chie explained simply.

"Oh my," Ahn laughed "how did this happen?"

There was a small hesitance before they began to explain what had happened. Shizuru disregarded it and the discussion that followed after in favor of watching the young Rogue. Kuma looked bored and uncaring on the outside but she could easily look beyond the false mask to see that Kuma was paying a large amount of attention to Sara. Looking back and forth between the two of them discreetly she also noticed how closely Sara was watching Kuma in her own innocent curiosity.

She briefly wondered if she aught to do something about them when she heard Kuma murmured something quietly to her. Turning back to Kuma she found the little Rogue gone and looking about she realized that Kuma was nowhere in sight.

.

Time passed quickly and as it passed one could often see Nina and Erstin walking about together which was less than unusual by itself but there seemed to be particular sort of air about the two of them together.

It was also noticed by Chie in particular that Rena seemed less than discouraging towards Elliot's usual advances which seemed to be slowly but surely increasing both in number and in the level of passion almost to the point where they were reminiscent of Elliot's old attempts before Arika was born. But the differences here were that unlike Elliot's early amorous pursuit of Rena which had been desperate and almost obsessive in feeling, the young Ambassador Otome's latest advances carried a much more sincere and serious vibe. Gone were the childish antics in their place was an adults true and deepest sincerity.

It also became a common sight to see Kuma padding about the palace grounds whether she prowled alone or padded along behind Shizuru like a living shadow. What struck many as odd was the fact that the young Rogue seemed to strike a peculiar sort of companionship with Nina and often times took to prowling about with the young Meister when Shizuru was busy with more private matters or in meetings during which Kuma's presence wasn't allowed.

But there were also times in which both Kuma and Mikoto disappeared for hours on end before sneaking back in to raid the kitchens while Mai wasn't looking. They would then trudge their way out into the back gardens where they pick a comfortable spot and collapsed for a short nap before getting into up to more mischief later.

Mai unfortunately seemed to take it upon herself to try and keep an eye on the wild pair since Haruka was a bit less then thrilled to find them getting into trouble no matter how minor it might sometimes be and often came up with unusual and rather senseless punishments for them.

Even Natsuki seemed to be finding fewer and fewer excuses to spend time with Shizuru when the Meister Otome invited her anywhere, even just for tea. Kuma of course was usually there as well but she was somewhat thankful for that.

Unlike Elliot and Rena who had been friends since a very early age due to their families close friendship, Natsuki and Shizuru had only known each other since their very early teens. As they grow older Natsuki had realized that her friends affection for her ran a bit deeper than most, though how deep exactly she couldn't (more like _wouldn't_) say for sure. Natsuki had a feeling that Shizuru was aware of her knowledge of Shizuru's emotions for her but the ever elegant Otome seemed to find it wiser to keep her thoughts to herself. In recent years their relationship had become somewhat strained, even more so when they were alone together. Natsuki had begun to feel almost desperate to repair the damage as an unnatural fear that Shizuru would abandon their friendship in pursuit of a more profound and fulfilling relationship with someone else arose from within her.

Now with Kuma's added attendance the pressure seemed less and Natsuki found it somewhat easier to push her fears and doubts aside for later. And even when the conversation laxed Kuma's presence provide a safe if somewhat awkwardness inducing distraction as she took the time to observe the dark foreigner's interactions with Shizuru as well as Shizuru's own attitude towards the youngster.

While Shizuru had never shown any sign that she disliked children she had only ever seemed to strike a bond with Nina and Erstin both of which she had personally tutored in the ways of an Otome during their training. So too did she seem to get along well with the ever child-like Mikoto and even little Arika as well. Yet she had also never expressed any desire to have children of her own. And while she cared a very great deal about the welfare of the citizens and children of Garderobe, especially those who lived in orphanages due to either war or a Slave attack, she had never shown any sort of inclination in adopting any of them, let alone one.

And yet the with the new situation with Kuma, at least as far as Natsuki was concerned, Shizuru had not merely bought Kuma's servitude. In a way Shizuru had practically unofficially _adopted_ the young foreigner. As far as Natsuki could figure, according to Garderobean law, Kuma could, unofficially of course, be recognized as Shizuru's ward and in a way Shizuru seemed to treat Kuma as a ward rather than as some sort of employee. Shizuru displayed an incredible amount of patient for Kuma and often indulged in an affectionate sort of teasing. Natsuki also noticed that Shizuru seemed to have developed an odd habit of touching Kuma's hair.

Kuma in turn showed some odd behavior towards Shizuru. Unlike Kuma's responses to Chie and Nao's constant teases Kuma never so much as growled at Shizuru when she teased her, instead she always bore the brunt of Shizuru's gentle teases silently. Nor did she ever try to pull away when Shizuru touched her when the instant that anyone else tried she either snapped at that them or brushed them off. The most Kuma ever did when Shizuru touched her was stiffen up and bear with it, she never tried move away or push Shizuru aside. Also despite Shizuru's many attempts at friendly affection Kuma remained stubbornly adamant in her claim that she was duty bound to serve Shizuru and continued acting more like a hired mercenary, though it seemed that she was slowly but surely starting to warm up to Shizuru and all the rest of them in turn as well.

On any other day Natsuki would have been very glad to have Kuma as a distraction for both herself and Shizuru. Unfortunately today Kuma seemed to have exhausted herself somewhat before following the two of them out for a picnic the back gardens and promptly fell asleep after eating leaving Natsuki alone with her brooding thoughts and an ever attentive Shizuru.

For Natsuki the problem wasn't Shizuru and her feelings. No, the problem for Natsuki was her own lack of insight on just what exactly _her own feelings for Shizuru_ actually were. She knew that she cared deeply for Shizuru, knew that she would do anything for her friend, knew that there was no where she wouldn't go for her sake alone. But, did she love Shizuru the same way she knew Shizuru loved her? Natsuki knew that she loved Shizuru as a friend, trusted her to have her back in everything she did, but did that honestly equal romantic love? No matter how much time she spent thinking about all this and more, she never seemed to find the answers to her ever growing questions.

* * *

**AN**

_Niichan_ - "Elder Brother."

_Neesan_ - "Elder Sister"

_Niisan_ - Same as _Niichan_.

_Nii_ - Shortened version of _Niisan_ or _Niichan_.

As for why I decided to randomly throw a song in there it's just my own musical interests coming to the surface in this story. Also so you don't get to confused just think of it all like this, the Mai HiME/Otome world is an AU with our own cultural history though it's located on another planet. In both ethnic cultures and popular cultures as well. And if you're curious about which planet it's all on I honestly don't know myself!

Well? What do you think? Does this chapter help at somewhat curing the lack of pairings or am I going too fast with them? Or maybe still not fast enough? Opinions are much appreciated as always, so please review! I'll try to update soon for you all!


	10. Chapter 10

Woot! Update! I seem to be missing some reviews. =| Honestly, is it so bad that it's not even worth reviewing?

* * *

Chapter 10

Shizuru stood once more on one side of queen Mashiro while Rena stood on the other. On the outside she appeared perfectly calm and pleasant as always, but inside, inside was another story. Inwardly she doing everything in her power to keep her thoughts and emotions in check to try and avoid fretting.

The reason for her concern was simple, earlier that morning and not long after breakfast she had received a call from Moriko the Gypsy tailor who report that Kuma's new clothes were all done, she just needed Kuma to come back so they could check the fit and make whatever last minute necessary changes if any were needed. Shizuru had promised they would be there soon, unfortunately just as they were ready to leave she had received a report from Erstin that some of the dignitaries and nobles wanted to have an audience with Mashiro to discuss some issues that had arisen. Normally Shizuru would have Haruka stand in as the queen's attending Otome being as the hot-headed blonde was her second in command, but Mashiro specifically asked for Shizuru to attend the meeting with her. She had been fully prepared to call Moriko back and apologize for needing to come in later instead but Natsuki had stopped her.

"I'll take Kuma while your in the meeting. The fitting shouldn't take too long and even if it does you'll be out of the meeting by the time we get back." Natsuki had shrugged at that.

"Ara, but Kuma isn't Natsuki's responsibility." Shizuru stated.

"It's not like being around Kuma is a chore," Natsuki pointed out "and besides, she's not that bad once you get used to her."

"Ara, ara, so is Natsuki offering to be the daddy while I'll be the mommy? Ookini." Shizuru teased smiling.

Natsuki had instantly turned an adorable bright red at that. "Sh-SHIZURU!!! That's not what I said at all!"

Shizuru pouted at that. "Then Natsuki doesn't want to be my husband?" Her eyes suddenly started to look watery. "Does– Does Natsuki think I'm ugly? Am– Am I not good enough for my Natsuki?" She turned away and hid her face in her hands as she fake cried at that.

"O-oi! Shizuru I– I don't think your ugly! And you'd– you'd make anyone very lucky to have you by their side." Natsuki blushed even as she tried to stop Shizuru's apparent crying.

"But– But Natsuki doesn't want to be my husband!" Shizuru's voice trembled. "How am I, supposed to raise Kuma alone? She– She needs a father too!"

"I– I never said I didn't want to, I– I just—" Natsuki struggled to think straight as she felt herself begin to panic as tried to stop Shizuru's pain and find an anwser.

"Then, Natsuki will be Kuma's papa? And my husband?" Shizuru sniffed.

Natsuki hesitated. "...Will– Will you stop crying if I say, yes?"

"Hai."

"...Okay then." Natsuki murmured.

"A-Ara?" Shizuru could hardly believe her ears, she had never expected Natsuki to actually say yes.

"I said," Natsuki took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'll be Kuma's new papa and– and your hus-husband." She stumbled a bit towards the end as she felt her face ignite once more.

Shizuru slowly raised her head to look at her first love. Natsuki was once again blushing but she also bore a small tentative smile.

"Ookini, Natsuki." Shizuru whispered, she felt so much at that moment that a tiny tear made it's way down her face.

"Oi, you promised you stop crying." Natsuki grumbled gently as she reached out to wipe it away.

"Kanin na, I did promise." Shizuru smile softly while taking Natsuki hand between her own.

Natsuki just smiled back quietly as she felt her own heart skip a little while butterflies took flight in her stomach.

.

The hard part after that had been convincing Kuma to go with Natsuki. It wasn't so much that Kuma didn't like Natsuki or not want to go, she just argued that she was duty bound to stay with Shizuru at all times if possible in case she was needed to do something. At that point Shizuru had pulled Kuma somewhat aside and pointed out that it was Kuma herself who had also said that it was her duty to look after those that Shizuru cared for and though Shizuru cared for everyone a great deal she cared for Natsuki the most above all others. Kuma had had little to say in retaliation to that and had sullenly agreed, eventually that is.

And so there Shizuru stood listening to a boring meeting as the various nobles and dignitaries argued over any and every petty little thing that seemed to come to their minds. Shizuru remained calm but she couldn't help worrying at the back of her mind. What if something happened like last time? What if Kuma really got hurt? Or what if Natsuki got hurt instead? She could have growled at that thought but didn't, if either of them got hurt there would be hell to pay.

.

Natsuki sat back and simply looked on as Moriko took measurement after measurement and slightly readjusted what had to be nearly very article of clothing she had made, which seemed to be quite a lot. The majority of Kuma's new clothes seemed to be mostly white from what she had managed to pay attention to. Sighing quietly she tried to think of something to distract herself with but she repeatedly came back to the same train of thoughts. Why hadshe agreed to Shizuru's joke? Natsuki realized it had all been a joke before and yet, and yet she had not treated it like a joke, instead she had agreed with total seriousness. Sighing once more she scratched her head and tried once more to set these thoughts aside.

"Do I smell tea?" Kuma had paused as she changed into her original clothes.

Moriko glanced up from where she was working on yet another set of clothes at her table. "I believe you do. That's some nose you've got there, they should have only just got around to brewing it by now. You really are a little bear."

'Why do you say that?' Natsuki almost asked but stopped and thought about it a bit. Where her family lived, which was near the border of the Free Nations and not all that far from the Thunder Mountains, there were plenty of wolves and bears and growing up she had learned quite a bit about both.

A bear's sense of smell is it's strongest sense of all and it's even stronger than that of a wolf or even a bloodhound, seven times great in fact. Their hearing is as good as any dogs and their eye sight is as good as a humans at the least if not better. They're also very strong and surprisingly fast despite their size. They are also extremely solitary and fairly territorial, provided you don't bother them they are generally harmless, sometimes at least, mostly because they proffer to avoid people. Looking at Kuma they small girl wasn't exactly her idea of the human equivalent of a bear due to her size but she had to admit, Kuma did tend to live up to her name sake in manner and attitude at least. What's more, she had never heard of a blonde bear before and Kuma was blonde, while Shizuru leaned more to the pale brunette side of the hair color spectrum Kuma was definitely more of a pale blonde.

"I could of told you that myself." Kuma snorted, then asked. "How long will this take? I'd like to get back as soon as possible."

"Nerves without your Contract?" Moriko teased good naturedly.

"It's not that." Kuma frowned. "It's just– Something feels, off. Not right, like a bad smell or something."

Natsuki nearly snickered at that but held it in.

Moriko raised a greying brow at that. "A bad smell." The old Gypsy dead panned.

Kuma shook her head, her frown deepening as she struggled to get her thoughts across. "I don't mean that something stinks, I–" She seemed to glare at something unseen. "It's kind of like smelling gasoline in the middle of a forest, it just doesn't belong there, not naturally at least."

Natsuki frowned, what was that supposed to mean? She understood what Kuma was saying but no idea where it was going.

"I see." Moriko just looked thoughtful at that. "Well I'll try to have everything finished for you quickly. In the mean time fell free to have some tea once it's ready."

Kuma nodded before taking her place beside Natsuki. The both of them heaved a heavy sigh, looks like they'd be there for sometime.

.

Shizuru watched as the arguments began to grow more heated between the dignitaries, one of the more passionate arguers even went so far as pound the table for emphasis. A quiet cough was all she did to remind them of where they were right now and the man quieted down though he never stopped arguing.

She sighed inwardly, it was going to be a looong morning.

.

Natsuki would have killed for a yo-yo right now as lame as that might be, but she was just so utterly bored right now! She glanced at Kuma who had managed to sprawl out comfortably in her chair and looked ready to start blowing spit bubbles by now. And from the looks of things, Kuma might have killed for a yo-yo too.

One of the shop assistants chose that moment to pop in and announce. "Tea's ready."

Sharing a short glance the two of them got up and followed the other girl out.

Natsuki paused and stared a moment. "What is that?"

"A samovar." Kuma answered simply. "It's what Gypsies use to prepare tea. The cups are there beside it, along with all the fixings for it." She pointed.

"How...?" Natsuki was trying to wrap her mind around how the large brightly decorated contraption could possibly brew tea.

Kuma suddenly chuckled.

"What?" Natsuki demanded.

Kuma smiled. "You're pretty easy to read, it's all there on your face and in your eyes." She turning back to the tea she explained. "The actual tea itself is brewed in concentrated form in the tea kettle that sits on top of the samovar, while the samovar itself just boils water that's used to dilute the tea, unless you proffer your tea strong that is."

Natsuki raised a navy brow at that. Who would have guessed that Kuma was so knowledgeable, and about tea no less! But she had one question. "What's the bowl for?"

"Samovars tend to drip sometimes so the sump bowl is used to catch the drips rather than letting it turn into a mess to clean up later." Kuma picked up one of the odd tall cups that looked to be made of glass incased in finally worked metal around the lower half.

"What kind of tea is it then?" Natsuki picked up one of the cups to take a closer look at it.

"Russian Caravan, as it was called during Old World times. It's a black tea blend of Oolong, Keemun, and Lapsang Souchong although the mixture sometimes varies." Kuma glanced up as she fixed her own cup filling it with two thirds tea, one third water, a touch of milk, and two sugar cubes. "It's called a podstakannik, Old World Russian mean "thing that sits under glass" it's a tea glass holder. There not connected so I'd watch how you handle it otherwise–"

Natsuki had just turned the cup upside down the glass part slipped out and she might have thought she'd have a heart attack trying to catch it. Luckily she had very good reflexes and caught is safely.

"–it might fall apart." Kuma finished lamely. "Nice catch Aniki."

"...thanks." Natsuki muttered as she polished the glass before replacing it back into it's holder. "So..." She pointed at the thing.

Kuma smiled again. "Start with the tea from the kettle then add water from the samovar, just turn the spigot. Add whatever you like after that, there's sugar, milk, honey, and lemon."

"You've had this before?" Natsuki started fixing her own cup which was simpler to do then she expected, she took a sip of it every now and again to check the taste. Once she was satisfied with the strength of her tea she add honey and lemon, she never bothered with milk and sugar unless she was drinking Earl Grey.

"This is the Gypsy equivalent of high cultural tea, and I've spent a lot of time around Gypsies so yeah, I've had it before." Kuma chuckled.

Natsuki raised her brow once more. "You're calmer." She realized.

"Huh?"

"You're calmer, normally you be pace or fidgeting by now but you're calm."

"I'm also bored." Kuma pointed out.

"But you're still calm."

"Probably the tea, no offense against Shizuru-Aneki but Oolong really isn't my favorite kind of tea, neither is green or white tea."

"I'm sure she wouldn't be offended."

They passed the rest of the time like that just talking and drinking tea and the more Natsuki drank of the strange tea the more she began to like it. At one point she started to wonder if Shizuru would like it too.

Finally Moriko came out with everything boxed up and ready to go so they loaded up the car they'd came in, but just as they were ready to leave Moriko stopped them and pulled Natsuki aside to give her a small bag tied shut at the top. "Give her one of these when she gets cranky, it'll put in a better mood. And these," She handed over a second bag. "if she ever gets sick, they'll help her feel better."

"To be honest she's often grumpy." Natsuki admitted.

Moriko chuckled. "Well crankier than usual then."

Natsuki was frowning at the bags and tried feeling what was inside them, as far as she could tell one was full of a bunch of small oddly shaped sticks while the other had a bunch of chunks of, something, that felt hard but kind of brittle but it wasn't heavy at all. "What is this?" She husked.

The old Gypsy woman chuckled but smiled gently. "Don't you worry none, they won't hurt her at all, they're both very good for her actually. Now, you better get going before she gets antsy."

Still frowning she tucked the bags into her jacket pockets and turned once more to head to the car but stopped herself this time. "Ano, I wanted to ask you about something before we leave."

"Oh, about what, miss?" Moriko looked curious.

Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck. "Um, the tea actually. I was wondering–"

"Unfortunately I can't bring myself to sell my samovar to anyone, miss." Moriko stated abruptly. "But, I can get you in contact with a good tea merchant I know who can sell you one. He keeps good solid pieces in stock, unlike many of these ridiculous imitations you might find in one of the street markets."

"Really? Where?" Distantly Natsuki wondered why she was suddenly so excited about buying tea, a small voice whispered to her that she was somehow just trying to impress Shizuru. She pushed it aside roughly. Impress? Why should she have to impress Shizuru when the other woman already felt so much for as it was. Besides, she was probably starting to worry back at the palace, they had been gone for some time already, and it would be nice to give her a gift.

Moriko made a quick call to check that the merchants shop was open. Once she'd made sure of that she gave Natsuki the directions but asked Kuma to stay a bit.

"I've something special for you little brother, something I think you'll like." Moriko smiled.

"What?" Kuma was impatient to go and do something right. First she had to leave Shizuru her Aneki and Contract, now she has to stay behind while Natsuki runs a quick errand on her own. Just how much more annoying could this day get?

"Just come on. I know you said you didn't need a new Surcoat but you do need to look like a proper noblewoman's Rogue." Moriko placed her hands on her hips. "Not only that, you are now the Rogue of a Meister Otome, and it's about time you had a proper uniform to show that, little brother. Now come, Miss Kruga won't be gone long."

With a groan Kuma followed the old woman outback as Natsuki headed out the shop door.

.

Shizuru very nearly sighed as the meeting finally came to a close. It had taken a great deal of negotiating and even more flattery to calm the dignitaries down enough until the meeting was finally adjourned. Looking around now she if Natsuki and Kuma had returned, she was still a little worried.

As she moved down the hallways away from the conference room she couldn't help but notice how various maids and servants were scurrying about busy as a beehive. She stopped a nearby maid for a moment.

"Excuse me but, what's going on?" Shizuru asked politely. "Has something happened?"

"One of the foreign nobles is coming to visit." The maid answered.

Shizuru was puzzled, she didn't recall hearing anything about a visit. "When was this announced?"

"Just now." The girl seemed anxious to get back to work.

"And when will they be arriving?"

"Today, soon. If that's all you wanted to know Meister Fujiola? I really need to get back to work."

"Yes, of course, please." Shizuru waved her on elegantly and with a curtsy the maid was off. So a foreign noble was on the way and would be arriving soon? This was most peculiar since most nobles whether they were foreign or native to Garderobe had the courtesy to warn them several days in advance before coming. Now the only question left to be answered was, just which noble was coming to visit?

.

The tea shop was easy enough to find and the shopping was even easier! The tea merchant had been very kind and incredibly helpful. As soon as Natsuki had said the word gift he had politely asked her to describe who the gift was for, what kind of person were they, what were they like and what did they like?

For Natsuki it had taken very little thought before she'd simply summarized Shizuru as elegant and charming, witty and wise, incredibly patient and unbelievably caring, as well as one of the most beautiful people she had ever met. She was gentle natured and quietly thoughtful but deeply protective and strong. She had a strong fondness for tea and teasing people and she enjoyed cultural things as well. And lastly but not least, she was the epitome of what every proper noblewoman should be.

The merchant had smiled and showed her several great sets including the samovar, and it's kettle, sump bowl, the glasses and their holders, all of them equally wonderful. Natsuki eventually settled on a beautifully elegant set, the samovar was made of silver enamelware depicting a scene of a gnarly old cherry tree blooming gloriously atop a snow-covered hill, the tree itself was dancing in a phantom wind while hundreds of its rich red petals fluttered about the air, the background was a soft lilac. The tea kettle was the same soft purple color and had several fluttering red petals strewn across it to help carry the motif. The sump bowl bore the same simple design as the kettle as did the sugar bowl and creamer while the silver platted tea glass holders for the tea glasses simply brought the motif full round with the same gnarly cherry tree engraved on the front along with dozens and dozens of tiny cherry blossoms carved all over them. The actual glasses themselves bore a simple silver lip. It might not have been the most spectacular set in the shop, but to Natsuki it was perfect.

She asked him what the best teas were and what went best with them. He boxed up everything and gave her a great deal on it all including the teas, pastries, and the "fixings" as Kuma had so inelegantly put it, meaning the sugar cubes, milk, lemon, and honey. She quickly paid for it and sent carefully loaded the car once more before getting in herself. Now it was just a matter of grabbing Kuma and heading on back to the palace. She could hardly wait to see Shizuru now.

.

Shizuru stood patiently beside Mashiro once with Rena only this time they were in the throne room and both Elliot and Ahn stood with them on the dais. The remaining Otome stood nearby along with Nao and Mikoto while several palace guards lined the walls. The only one's missing aside from Natsuki and Kuma were Chie and Yohko who were very busy with something import, or so they said. This ways not an uncommon, or unwelcome, sight to see in honor of a foreign politics visit. Even with Nao and Mikoto it was not all that unusual. The only unwelcome sight were todays uninvited guests themselves. It seemed that Nagi had gotten it into his head to pay a surprise visit today of all days. For now, Shizuru was almost glad that Kuma wasn't there if only to avoid dealing with Nagi and his cruelty.

Thinking about Kuma lead to thoughts of Natsuki who was currently still with the small Rogue and she became slightly distracted for a moment. She instantly snapped to attention at Nagi's last words.

"Your Majesty Mashiro Kazahana, glorious High Queen of Garderobe, I ask you now," Nagi paused dramatically near the bottom of the dais steps where he dropped down to knee and kneeled."will you marry me?"

Total silence descended for a small eternity before anyone spoke.

"What did you just say?" Haruka asked slowly, she could hardly believe her ears. Not that anyone could blame her, none of them wanted to believe what they were hearing right now. But Mashiro, out of all of them, was the most disbelieving of all, as she should be of course.

Nagi smirked. "I asked Mashiro-Chan to marry me."

"And my answer is no." Mashiro stated strongly. They could scarcely recall a time when she had looked more determined.

But Nagi failed to loose his smile. "Aw come on Mashiro-Chan, you must like me too after all."

Mashiro expression was like that of cold iron. "To be perfectly honest Archduke, there are times in which I can barely stand the mere sight of you even from afar, let alone you yourself in person. And this, is one of those times."

"Well I'm sure I could persuade you if you're going to be so troublesome." Nagi was grinning outright by now.

A familiar husky voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, sounding as cold and frozen as a glacier. "I'll like to see you try, half-pint. I guarantee you won't get far." Natsuki stood glaring at Nagi and his two right hands intensely from the doorway.

"Hey," Growled a second and equally rough voice from behind her. "at least save me some, my muscles have been starting to cramp up from lack of use. I mean, sparing with Mikoto is great and all," Kuma moved to stand beside now. "but it's not the same as all out fighting."

For a moment Nagi looked genuinely surprised. "Ara, since when does the animal wear such finery?" Nagi also wasn't the only one surprised, after all, none of them had known quite what to expect when it came to Kuma's new clothes and they were all fairly surprised.

Kuma literally growled and made as if to go at him but Natsuki wrapped an arm around her and held her back murmuring to the dark preteen to try and calm her a bit. To be honest, Natsuki really couldn't blame Nagi for his surprise, but he really had crossed the line with that animal remark. Kuma was currently wearing her new uniform which wasn't much of a surprise really.

Kuma's new uniform consisted of a pair of loose fitting lilac colored pants held up by a simple white sash and tucked into a pair of no-nonsense-down-to-business white boots with a red trim. In place of a conventional shirt Kuma's entire torso was wrapped in a rich red sarashi-like clothe, only this time the wrappings extended all the way down her arms and even to her fingertips. Over this she wore the new Surcoat which Moriko had insisted on and it was this Surcoat which had most surprised everyone including Natsuki herself when she first saw it. Why? Because Kuma's new uniform coat was nearly a mirror image of Nagi's own mantle of office if it weren't the difference in colors and slight design changes. Nagi's mantle was mainly a dark and nearly-black blue color trimmed in white and burgundy red. Kuma's Surcoat on the other hand was a bright almost silvery white color trimmed in a similar deep crimson color as her sarashi and the same soft lilac color as her pants, that very same lilac color was also a perfect match to the color of Shizuru's Meister uniform.

Nagi was quick to regain his trade mark sleazy smirk and aimed it at Kuma tauntingly

Kuma growled deeper than before and the vibrations of the harsh noise were so strong that Natsuki could feel the vibrations through the arm which held Kuma.

Natsuki leaned down so mouth was level with Kuma's and started whispering. "Kuma, Kuma listen to me." Kuma tried to pull away again. Natsuki growled quietly in frustration as she pulled Kuma back. "Listen to me damn it!" She hissed. "If you so much as nock a single hair out of place on Nagi's head he'll have Schwartz declare war on Garderobe." "By Garderobe's laws you are considered to be Shizuru's unofficialized legal ward and that makes you a member of the Fujiola family in your own right. Attacking him will get Shizuru into huge trouble and you said it was your job to help keep her out of trouble. You got that? You can't touch him, or else–"

Shizuru's voice rang out elegantly. "Ara, ara, Natsuki and Takehiko seemed to be so deep in discussion, what about I wonder? Is it so important that they need to block the door?" She teased them. "If so I'm afraid you need to move, the Archduke has overstayed his welcome." This was said politely but it was obviously an order to leave.

Nagi practically pouted. "It would be such a shame to leave already, I only just arrived after all, and I still haven't gotten answer."

"Don't bullshit me," Kuma growled as she stalked her way to the dais. "even I could hear her from the hallway. Mashiro said no and no, is no, is no. Just like a bear, is a bear, is a bear."

"As if a beast would know anything about marriage." Tomoe sneered. "You're nothing more than an uncultured, ill-mannered savage."

Kuma's eyes flashed. "This coming from the girl who apparently doesn't know the difference between her hair and a handkerchief." She snapped back.

Tomoe's face went blank before it pinked in embarrassment then quickly darkened with anger. "What did you say?"

"What, you don't know how to clean your ears either, bugger-brain? Savage that I am, even I know that you're supposed to blow your nose in a tissue. But you, you look like you've been sneezing in your hand and then whipping it off into your hair for the last, what? Ten, fifteen years? Honestly, how retarded can you be?"

With a shriek Tomoe tried to launch herself at Kuma only to be pulled up short by a delicate pale and elegantly long-fingered hand that was impossibly strong. Turning she found herself staring into the same blood red eyes she had fallen madly for, but now they burned with a dangerous light. Tomoe actually shivered under their intensity.

Kuma, who had instinctively dropped into a defensive crouch, was now stock still as she stared at her Aneki in shock. She hadn't even seen Shizuru move for Pete's sake! Kuma knew from what her Chichiue had told her that an Otome was capable of doing incredible things while wearing their Robe, but she had never suspected that they were still capable of amazing things even without it! Kuma was finally starting to really understand that not only did she know so little about Shizuru as a person, she knew basically nothing about what the Meister Otome was capable of. And seeing the intense look in eyes actually caused her to shiver.

"Ara, Tomoe," Shizuru smiled, but the smile held absolutely no warmth or gentility. "I'm afraid that I've grown rather fond of Takehiko, despite her grumpy temper, and therefore I cannot simply stand by and allow you to harm this child of mine."

"O-Oneesama? This– I– Why–?" Tomoe babbled, stumbling along.

Kuma felt her ears perk up at that as she rose back up to a standing position. "Hers?" Kuma thought privately. "Since when did I become her 'child'? I'm just the Rogue."

"If you would all please leave? We would be–" Shizuru was suddenly cut by a sudden roar from Kuma, the sound was so bestial and so much louder than she would have expected from the young preteen. Turning she just managed to see Nagi jump back and away from Kuma as the Rogue aimed a wild sword swipe at the Archduke's stomach while holding a hand to her back. Now faced with Kuma's back Shizuru was able to see the last major difference between Kuma's coat and Nagi's. Right there in the middle of Kuma's back, just between her shoulder blades, was a large blood red snowflake.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!" Kuma roared.

"A red snowflake." Nagi murmured seemingly unphased by Kuma's apparent rage. "So that's who you are, eh?" He suddenly grinned. "Takehiko of the Crimson Avalanche."

'What?' The same thought rang through everyone's mind. Just what the hell was Nagi talking about? But Kuma just glared at the minuscule Archduke.

"So you know who I am, big fucking whoopity doo daa day! That still don't give you no goddamn right to tou–"

"Oh, I don't just know who you are, I know exactly what you are, I know that you're capable of incredible things." Nagi smirked.

Kuma feel silent and glared at Nagi hatefully.

"You are known as the Crimson Avalanche because you singlehandedly destroyed a Slaughterhouse circuit. You slaughtered the Slaughterers, so to speak." Nagi chuckled.

All eyes focused on Kuma. KUMA! The ill-tempered, grumpy little preteen who was even smaller than Mikoto! Sure she growled more than she laughed or smiled but she was practically harmless! There was just no way–!

"I was under orders of the Syndicate," Kuma explained, she had never looked more serious. "The Slaughterhouses in our territory had taken an alarming number of children and Rogues captive over the years and it was high time someone taught them their place. Six feet under to be exact. Chichiue and the other Crime Lords thought it best to try and combine their resources, they each had very few Rogues since the majority of them had all been captured and thrown into the Slaughterhouses to entertain the wealthy." Her expression darkened. "I was chosen as to be a part of the unit since there were so few of use and no matter the age or size, a Rogue, is a Rogue, is a Rogue."

No one moved as they stared at Kuma feeling horror shiver down their spines as disgust clawed it's way up their throats. There was no way, just no way, that Kuma could have–

Nagi's eye's sparkled maliciously. "And when your people realized that the Contestants of the Slaughterhouse fights had all been driven well beyond the edge of insanity you were ordered to kill them all."

"WELL WHAT THE FUCK ELSE WERE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!?!?" Kuma demanded looking around at all the shocked and horrified faces. "They couldn't even tell they were alive anymore! They didn't know who or what they were, never mind remember what they had been before their madness took them!"

"And so you murdered all those children." Nagi laughed.

"WHAT ELSE COULD I DO?! WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE CHOSEN BETWEEN SPENDING THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE EXCUSE OF A LIFE TRAPPED SO DEEP WITHIN YOUR OWN MADNESS THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN HEAR YOURSELF SCREAMING, OR WOULD YOU RATHER SIMPLY DIE INSTEAD!?" Kuma shook with under the strength her own emotions. Then she shook her head hard stamped her foot once and squared her shoulders trying to stay strong. "What we did for them was a mercy."

"But that still doesn't change the fact that you killed them all. While the rest of your brethren each took on a different Slaughterhouse arena you yourself entered one with a small band of three other Rogues to take it down. While the others were being butchered by Slaughterhouse fighters you faced a pack of them on your own. In that moment where you faced your own demise for the first time you displayed an insurmountable power that far surpassed any Rogue before you,"

Kuma was shaking again. "Shut up."

But Nagi plowed on. "and with that power you killed everyone inside in one huge massacre."

"Shut up, damn you."

"And when others arrived to investigate they found you standing in the middle surrounded by hundreds of bodies so utterly soaked in the blood of your victims that no one could tell just who or what you were."

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" In a fit of pure rage Kuma suddenly did something that no one had ever expected, she threw Red at Nagi, barely missing him it instead buried itself into the wall beside his head.

Nagi cast the sword a casual glance completely unmoved by it. "And according to rumor," He delicately ran a finger along the back of the blade down to the hilt. "your sword was permanently died the same blood red as proof of your unforgivable sin. That's why you yourself are so utterly despised within the Free Nations. And that's why your family was murdered, the same way that you murdered all those poor innocent children."

"Just keep talking Archduke and maybe I'll be of a mind to visit Schwartz and show you just what a Crimson Avalanche looks like." Kuma snarled.

Nagi smiled. "Why don't you come with me to Schwartz now?"

Kuma frowned now. "What?"

"You aren't appreciated for you talents here, nor will you ever be! Look at them!" Nagi indicated them all with a sweep of his hand. "They're terrified of you now, maybe even hate you! Are you really so willing to stay here and bear it? And for what? Nothing! Come with me and I will make you glorious beyond your wildest dreams!"

"The only glory to be found with you is yours alone." Kuma growled.

"Be that as it may, but, tell me," Nagi pointed at Shizuru now. "has Shizuru-Chan even once tried to officially confirmed your contract with her?"

Kuma looked torn for a moment at that, then snarling. "Leave Aneki out of this! She's got nothing to do with you!"

Nagi went on. "Come with me and I'll unlock your true power."

"Don't you get it, you little shit?" Kuma growled. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Such a shame." Nagi shook his head sadly. "Well, no matter, you'll come around eventually."

"NEVER!"

"Bye, bye, Hiko-Chan." And with that Nagi swept out the door followed closely by Sergay and Tomoe.

* * *

**AN**

Ookini - Basically the Kyoto-ben equivalent of Arigato.

Kanin na - Kyoto-ben equivalent of Gomen nasai.

Fun fact: A bears sense of smell really IS seven times better than a bloodhound's according to the American Bear Association. Go figure.

Podstakannik - See above story explanation. :p And if you're still confused just Google it.

Samovar - An urn with a spigot at its base used especially in Russia to boil water for tea. Description courtesy of Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. The word samovar literally means "self boiler". Google is my savior. XD Although Bing is pretty cool too.

You know, I'm pretty damn sure that there isn't a Russian tea set in the word that looks quite like Shizuru's. XD

I'm pretty damn sure Nagi says "Ara" just like Shizuru, though he's not nearly as famous for it. He says it a few times in My-Otome at least, I think.

By the way, I said Kuma was going to be twelve before which makes her eleven now but I'm officially changing it so that's she's twelve for now and will be thirteen come winter. So now if you read back you'll that in chapter 9. I'm also changing Elliot and Rena's ages as well so that now Elliot will be thirty-three and Rena will be thirty-four. If you go back through chapter one you'll see the changes.

And there you have it, the latest chapter. Please review if you liked it? It encourages me to keep going.

Oh! Quick question. Has Kuma ever come off as a bit Mary Sueish? I'd like to avoid having her go into the Mary Sue side of the Force so if she ever does seem to be leaning that way characterwise, just warn me and I'll try to fix that. I know Mary Sues really aren't that welcome and they can be majorly annoying too.


	11. Chapter 11

Alright, next chapter! Get ready for a serious curve ball guys, because the plots about to thicken! You're not gonna believe this!

* * *

Chapter 11

The last week and a half had been spent playing hide and seek. The seekers being everyone in the palace while Kuma remained hidden.

It had been a tremendous shock for them all to hear what Kuma had done. They had barely had a chance to utter a single sound before Kuma had yanked Red out of the wall with out great tug and left the throne room moving faster than they had imagined she could. No had been able to react fast enough to stop her and by the time they had even tried Kuma was already gone.

None of them had wanted to believe what they had just heard but when Chie who had come running to get them had confirmed it all later Haruka first desire had been to capture and detain Kuma as a safety precaution. Natsuki had been adamantly against it.

"Kuma is just a _**child**_ Haruka!" Natsuki argued.

But Haruka had been adamant as well. "Well that _'child'_ has already admitted to committing murder of the highest degree! Do you really want someone so dangerous running around the palace freely? What if she decides to try and kill us too?!"

"She was under orders–!" Natsuki tried to defend.

"ORDERS THAT SHE COULD HAVE IGNORED AND REFUSED!!!" Haruka bellowed.

"No, she couldn't." Elliot interjected quietly.

"What? Of course she could have! She–"

"No, she couldn't." Elliot insisted. "Any and all Rogues who have ever dared to go against a direct order from the Syndicate united has been execute immediately. They have _**no choice**__what so ever _when it comes to following orders. They either do as they are told or die and even if they are not killed they are beaten to within an inch of their life to make they sorry for their insubordination."

"So she–?"

"It was a choice between kill or be killed for her, and that, is no choice at all."

"Chie?" Shizuru asked softly.

"My sources have already confirmed it all, Shizuru-Oneesama." The boyish Otome answered somberly.

"I see, and when did this happen?"

"According to my sources, nearly eight years ago."

"What?" Haruka demanded. "That's impossible! Kuma's only twelve so she couldn't–"

"Kuma will be thirteen this year come winter meaning that she was about five or six at the time." Chie cut her off.

"But a child that young couldn't possibly–!"

Elliot broke in. "A Rogues instinct to fight goes well beyond any human's understanding. From the time they can stand and walk they can fight. Their instinct to kill in order to survive is as deeply rooted within them as it is in any other create on the planet."

"That's not all." Yohko added.

"What? How can there be more?" Mai demanded as she hugged Mikoto more to comfort herself than the younger HiME.

"I've been busy studying Kuma's blood work for a long time now. There was something about it that just didn't check out so I ran multiple test to try and sort it out." Yohko looked them each in the eye seriously. "There are nanites in her blood."

Various shouts of "What?!" "That's Impossible!!" "How?!" rose up instantly.

"There's more besides that, as I said Kuma's blood is strange, it acts, looks, smells, and even feels like normal blood but it isn't normal at all."

"I'm not even gonna ask how you know what it smells and feels like." Nao quipped.

Yohko threw Nao and exasperated look. "Kuma isn't the only one with a fair sense of smell Nao and when you spend years treating bloody wounds you–"

"Yeah, yeah Sensei, I get your point. But what's so weird about the brats blood?"

"An Otomes blood does not change in its biophysical makeup what so ever. It is simply blood with nanites. Even an Ex-Meisters Otomes blood work does not change after the nanites have stopped working. The nanites simply break down and disintegrate and are naturally flush out of the body later without leaving a single trace of their previous existence behind."

"And the kids blood is different how?" Nao was frowning. "And if she really does have nanites then where's her GEM? I haven't seen her where one even once."

"That's just it."

"What? What the hell are you getting at woman?"

"I believe her blood IS the GEM."

"WHAT?!" Several of voices rose once more. "HOW THE HELL IS THAT POSSIBLE!?"

But Yohko didn't answer any of their questions. Instead she turned to look at Chie. "I believe it's your turn now Chie-_San_."

"Mm." Chie nodded, then turning to face the large keyboard she started typing and as she typed several windows of information and pictures popped up until they filled the screen. She began to talk as she continued typing. "Yohko came to me when she realized that something was off with Kuma's blood and asked me to do a bit of research to see if I could find an explanation for it. And the more I dug into it, the more I began to realize that there was so much more to our little Rogue than what I first suspected. This," She punched in a key and a picture of a man who looked to be in his early thirties popped up. He was very dark with very short black hair and dark brown eyes. His face was covered in tiny white scars. "is Takeshi Ryubumon the previously reigning Crime Lord of the Central Territories of the Free Nations and the false father of Takehiko Kumabushi."

"False?" Natsuki said. "You mean he isn't Kuma's real father?"

"No, he isn't." Chie confirmed. "Nor, is he the true owner of the sword Akai Shi."

"Then who is?"

Chie didn't answer instead she started talking again as if on one had asked the question. "During his lifetime Takeshi Ryubumon was said to have taken on a great many lovers. One of which just so happened to be one of the six wives of the previous Archduke of Schwartz, Bel Glan De Artai, and Bel Glan was a very possessive man in his lifetime. In retaliation to Ryubumon's apparent insult against him Bel Glan launched a war against the Free Nations and one of the earliest casualties of that war had been Ryubumon's current Gypsy lover and their unborn child. Bel Glan's greatest crime in Ryubumon's eyes officialized their rivalry until both their deaths."

"But what does this have to do with Kuma?"

"Everything, just listen." She started typing again and Ryubumon's picture was soon replaced by a photo of an ominous looking building surrounded by a forest blanketed with snow. More photo's of that same building came up along with several other photos of the inside of an oppressive feeling laboratory filled with multiple liquid filled cylinders and other various strange equipment also popped up on screen. "During the long war Schwartz completely obsessed with creating the perfect living weapon by expanding on their Valkyrie technology and their knowledge of the HiMEs of the Old World. By combining these two they hoped to create the ultimate warrior."

"How did they do this?" Shizuru asked, though she already suspected she knew what they had done.

"Not all casualties of war are due to death, there is nearly always someone left behind be it a spouse, sibling, friend, or even a child." Chie started typing again, her fingers flying across the great keyboard. "In the beginning they experimented on adults, nearly all were failures. Those who didn't not die became horrible and uncontrollable monsters, and even if they did not transform immediately they eventually would." Several more pictures popped, some were the gruesome photographs of bodies with their stomachs torn wide open, their limbs twisted in excruciating pain as their expressions reflexed the agony of their death.

"Dear gods." Mai covered her mouth looking horrified.

Nao squinted at the screen. "It, it looks like something came out of them." Her face scrunched up in disgust.

"That's because something did." Chie typed once more bringing up more pictures, these were of grotesque looking bio-mechanical monsters not all dissimilar to an Orphan or a Slave. The creatures were a dark grey color with putrid looking grey-green veins all over their bodies. They're eyes were a terrible ugly yellow eyes which rolled up in their bulbous and distorted heads and their large horrible mouths were wide open as if silently screaming. Their bodies tall gangly looking things with hunched backs and short bowed legs, their arms were so long that their fist dragged along the ground on they're knuckles. In a way, they almost resembled terrible and grotesquely disfigured monstrous human beings which only added to the horror of their appearance. "These creates are neither Slave nor Orphan, in the Free Nations they are known as Witches are very few things have the ability to stand up to there immense power."

That rang a bell. "Kuma mentioned Witches once." Mikoto suddenly piped up.

"I'm not surprised." Chie replied distractedly as she went on typing. "These Witches are the results of Schwartz multiple failures and at one point the experiments all escaped. Now they run loose with in the Free Nations traveling in packs and destroying everything in their path."

"How many were there?" Nina asked unable to remain silent.

"No one knows, could be less than a dozen or well over a hundred. The exact number of these experiments was never recorded, or if they ever were that the file was lost when they escaped. Those failed experiments were abandoned due to their unstable and uncontrollable nature in favor of a new more controllable experiment. The scientist theorized that the reason the experiments failed was due to the fact that an adults body was to settled and over developed to be altered so completely. And so they started over from scratch, but this time," Chie kept on typing and brought up several close up photos of the cylinders filled with cloudy yellow liquid and in the middle of that liquid floated a small figure curled in the fetal position. Several cords of varying sizes were connected all over the tiny figures body, though there was one thick line connected to a mask covering their nose and mouth and another smaller line seem to pass through their chest and into what had to be their heart. "they used children in their experiments. And with the war still in full swing there was no shortage of orphans."

"Kuma–!" Erstin couldn't bring herself to finish her vocal thought.

"Must have been one of these experimental children." Chie stated gravely.

Erstin buried her face in Nina's chest at that. Nina immediately wrapped her arms around her distraught friend. Erstin was extremely fond of children and in the short time that she had come to know Kuma had grown quite fond of the young stormy tempered Rogue. And to be honest, so had Nina herself.

"What did they do?" Natsuki's expression was cold as a glacier and serious as steel. At one time some scientists had tried to take her sister to experiment on her and Natsuki had torn their foundation to the ground with Shizuru help once the Otome had come in answer to her call. It was only after they had investigated that they had found the MAID unite Miyu who now served Natsuki's family and was Alyssa constant companion and protector.

"Using their Valkyrie technology and knowledge of GEMs they tried to create a false HiME who operated under the power of a new kind of GEM known as a JEWEL though what JEWEL stands for I couldn't tell you."

"Unimportant. What did they do to those children?"

"Well to explain, a JEWEL is an altered Meister level GEM in a liquid form, almost like how mercury is a liquid metal at room temperature at least. Only rather than being a liquid only at room temperature a JEWEL can only remain a liquid within the human body. But if that body's temperature were to raise to hyperthermia levels or drop into the realm of hypothermia, well, the result of that could possibly be disastrous. These JEWELs were injected into the experimental children along with nanites. Unfortunately the children's bodies were completely incapable of withstanding the immense power of the JEWEL and soon died. The scientists grew increasingly frustrated until Schwartz army accidentally captured a live Rogue who promptly underwent an extremely close study by the scientists. In the end they hypothesized that with their unique physiology a Rogues body would be able to withstand a JEWELs incredible power but it had to be introduced to the body very early in order to accommodate to the foreign substance so that their bodies could develop until they could support it." Chie began typing again and brought up the photo of a well known ruin located beyond the ruling of any of the great monarchies and well beyond the Free Nations.

Haruka frowned. "What do the old HiME ruins have to do with any of this?"

"Everything." Chie answered. " Because in the ruins are the original archives dedicated to all the ancient HiMEs from the time of the Old World. It was here that they found the DNA of several of these ancient HiMEs. And as we all very well know, all of todays current living HiME are descended from these ancient HiME, as are many of the Otomes." Chie nodded at Shizuru and Mai here. "Originally Schwartz's scientists had intended to use the ancient DNA to design their own altered clones of the ancients, but, that plan was abandoned when they realized that the ancient DNA samples were far to unstable to be used.

"So what happened?" Nao asked impatiently.

"Somehow they managed to get there hands on the DNA of some of the living descendants of the ancients and using some top secret experimental technique combined it with the DNA of a newly captured Wylder in order to create hundreds of their own genetically engineered Rogue/HiME hybrids who they cultivated in an artificial womb and developed within those pods. As the children developed the scientist introduced first the nanites then the JEWEL itself, one JEWEL per child. More than half of these children died while only a very small few survived, and only one of those survivors is still alive to this day."

"Kuma." Natsuki murmured.

"Kuma." Chie nodded.

"Then how is she here and not there?"

"Well at one point Ryubumon and the Free Nation armies made it that far into Schwartz and ransacked the laboratory. Many of the surviving experiments died in the attack when Free Nations' soldiers took them from their pods but Kuma somehow survived. From that moment on she was adopted as Ryubumon's child and raised to be his son and heir."

"Does she even know?"

"I doubt Ryubumon would have been willing to tell her."

"And the sword?" Haruka just wanted it to be cleared up.

Chie began typing once more. "I did some research on it and there is no historical evidence that it ever existed before Ryubumon ever got it. I think that Akai Shi is actually Kuma's Element."

"But it never goes away! How can it be an Element?" Nao demanded.

"I think it's like Miroku," Chie nodded her head at Mikoto. "in that it permanently stays 'on' and doesn't have to turn off."

"Then where's her Child?"

"Kuma might not have one because in a way she's an Otome." Chie explained as she started typing again.

"You said that those children, that Kuma was made from the DNA of one of the Ancient HiMEs, but which one?" Haruka asked.

"I never said that Kuma was made from one." Chie corrected still typing.

"What?"

"Yohko took over. "When Chie told me about all this I asked her not to tell anyone until we had all the facts or all that we could find at least. I also asked her to help me get a hold of all the medical files I could to cross reference them with Kuma's DNA to figure out who's DNA she was made from."

"And?" Mai waited.

"We did this because technically speaking Kuma is made more from their the ancient's descendants rather than the ancients themselves."

"And?!" Nao was getting seriously tired of all the drama.

"Two matches came up every time. As far as my tests can tell me, as far as _any_ medical test will ever be able to tell, Kuma is the biological child of **two** descendants."

"So who's kid is she then?!" Haruka demanded feeling feed up by now.

Chie punched in one final key and two pictures popped up. They were of Natsuki and Shizuru. "She's yours. Both, of yours"

* * *

**AN**

HO-LY shit.

I'll try to update soon but I NEED to hear what you guys have to say about everything. It pushes me to update regularly.

Readers: She looks nothing like them!

virgo: She kinda has Shizuru's hair color and her eyes are sort of similar too?...

Readers: Light brown is not the same as red you idiot! And what about Natsuki?

virgo: Is the whole 'quick to glare and slow to smile' thing not obvious enough for you?

Readers: NO!!!

virgo: Ok, ok, I'll try and work on it!


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you all _so much_ the reviews! I really appreciate hearing from you guys!

Now, on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 12

Shizuru hadn't been sure what to think, still didn't know what to think. On one hand a part of her was overjoyed to know that a child existed in the world who was both a part of her AND a part of Natsuki . Another part of her also felt cheated for not being able to see Kuma grow, to raise her with Natsuki. While the largest part of her felt at fault for Kuma's horrible birth and for the hard life she had already lived. The dark preteen held within her an incredible power that she knew nothing about and probably did not know how to use.

Thinking back she recalled how everyone had reacted to the revelation.

Haruka was utterly unbelieving. "She looks nothing like them! And how the hell can two woman have a child?!"

"Schwartz somehow figured it out but the technology itself is now gone." Chie replied. "And you forgot that she is also part Wylder so it's not all that surprising that she doesn't look much like either of them.

"Her Element–!"

"Would not be the same as either Natsuki's or Shizuru's as we all very well know that each HiME has their own very different and unique Element and as all Otome Elements vary from GEM user to GEM user, Kuma's JEWEL-BLOOD more than likely acts in a similar manner to that of a GEM." Yohko cut in. "We also know that not all children look like both their parents. Alyssa Kruga, for instance, has her father's blonde hair and her grandmother's blue eye's on her mother's side, while Natsuki here has her mother's blue hair and her green eyes. Shizuru herself has her great grandfather's red eye's and the same hair color as her aunt on her mother's side."

"Natsuki." Shizuru touched the dark HiMEs shoulder gently.

Natsuki didn't answer but she didn't pull away either. She focused on Yohko intensely. "You're sure she's mine? And Shizuru's?"

"There's no doubt." Yohko answered seriously.

"I see, thank you." With that she turned to leave.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru called after her retreating back.

Natsuki stopped but did not turn around. "I'm sorry Shizuru but I need you to leave me alone for a while, I have a lot to think about."

"Of course Natsuki. I understand."

"Thank you, Shizuru, you always understand." She was out the door after that.

Shizuru sighed softly. It had been a week since then and she had seen very little of Natsuki and nothing of Kuma. During that time Mashiro, along with those who had not been present during the reveal, had been brought up to speed so that they were all on the same page. Somewhat at least.

Shizuru dearly wanted to talk to Kuma but the small Rogue seemed to be so afraid of how they would react to what Nagi had said before, to what she had admitted to, that she could not bear to face them. She also wanted to talk to Natsuki, if only to find out what she thought, how she felt.

She restrained another sigh. She could understand Natsuki's need to brood in many ways. To begin with they both had a child who was a part of the both of them. That same child was apparently both a born HiME and a born Otome too. And, according to the age difference, the both of them would have been sixteen when Kuma was born. Natsuki had just became a HiME at fifteen and Shizuru had become a Meister at the same age as well. So Kuma was born just a year after they had both become Guardians. A year after they had both begun actively fighting against Orphans and Slaves.

They both had a lot to think about.

.

Natsuki sat brooding moodily hidden away in a corner of the back gardens beneath a willow tree as she struggled to straighten out her thoughts. It had only been a joke. A somewhat serious joke of course... Ok, so she had been completely serious when she had said yes to Shizuru to be her pretend husband and Kuma's makeshift daddy. But, it was all only supposed to be pretend, not for real! Now she had come to realize that in a way she really was one of Kuma's parents. The other one being Shizuru herself. If she really thought about it Kuma might possibly have a third parent, an unnamed Wylder, if the poor bastard was even still alive that is, but when she did she felt unbelievably angry and even jealous. She didn't like the idea of Shizuru having a child with someone else. A tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her that in a way she had a child with that same someone else as well. But a slightly louder voice shouted that voice down saying that that was unimportant, she didn't want Shizuru to have a child with someone else!

Not only that she had no idea how to tell Kuma that the man she had always believed was her father actually wasn't. And that she and Shizuru were actually her real parents in some insane way. No idea how to explain Kuma's mysterious powers to her. And what was she supposed to tell her family? _"Hi mom and dad, I just found out that I have an experimental child that is also Shizuru's daughter who was born when we were sixteen, looks like you've got a new twelve year old grandchild and Alyssa's got a new niece"_? Yeah, **that** would be just **_peachy_**. _Ugh._

She sighed heavily. What made it worse, she hadn't seen Kuma in nearly three weeks now. According to Shizuru the little Rogue, their daughter, was still around and merely out of sight.

_'Daughter, huh?'_ Natsuki chuckled humorlessly. She didn't know what made her more furious. The fact that she had a biological daughter that she had never known about. The fact that she hadn't been able to raise that daughter, to see her grow. Or the fact that someone had seriously hurt her daughter time and time again as she grew up a world away from her and Shizuru both. All of them filled her with a cold hard rage. But the greatest insult wasn't Kuma's birth but her previously assigned destiny to become a weapon of war for Schwartz. An experiment designed to kill and destroy, to hurt others. They had made hundred perhaps thousands like Kuma, all of which had died long before their time had come

She did not worry about trivial things such as her child's name. Kuma had had her name for years and Natsuki felt no strong desire to change it. She wondered how Shizuru felt with all of this. And thoughts of Shizuru lead her to remind herself that she had still failed to give her friend the ever elegant Otome her gift. In a small round about way it had been thanks to Kuma that Natsuki had discovered a new and interesting form of her dearest friends 'hobby', so to speak.

She sighed once more. How was she supposed to fix this mess?

.

Kuma had just barely managed to stay below radar within the palace by sneaking about and staying out of sight. Looks like some of her odder talents were coming in handy. For the past week or so the palace had been a buzz with activity but she didn't know why. There were no more guests to worry about, no unexpected visits to be bothered with, so why?

She sighed deeply. Here she was hidden way up in the upper most branches of a strong and heavily leaved tree trying to stay well beyond sight while still keeping a careful eye on everyone else. Also, for the past two weeks or so she felt as if she had just barely been able to hold on to her sanity as she repeatedly woke up from nightmares and wrestled with herself to swallow the screams that tried to claw their way up her throat. She couldn't remember what happened in her nightmares but she knew what they were about. The Slaughterhouse Massacre and the mass murder of Chichiue and their hodgepodge family. She shivered at the mere thought of the old memories. She didn't remember what happened, she never while she was still awake. She only remember in her sleep, only in her nightmares.

She new that her Aneki was worried about her, all of them seemed to be worried about her. But she couldn't bring herself to face them. How could she after all she had said? She was a murderer and the proof of her crime, her sin, was carved upon her very flesh. Just walking down a random street within the Free Nations was a death wish for her as random people she had never met before would suddenly shoot at her, pull a knife on her, beat her with whatever they could get their hands until she screamed, until she lay broken and bleeding in a back alley where one of Chichiue's subordinates would find her. Even within the traveling troop she had been constantly attacked and beaten. The only ones who had never tried to hurt her had been Akemi and the few other Gypsies within the troop. Who was to say that these people here wouldn't try to hurt her now that they knew what she had done?

.

Another week went by and Garderobe palace was privy to a special guest. Yukino Kikukawa arrived just as evening set in, in answer to Natsuki's request for help. Nao had already been sent back to Fuka in Yukino's place along with a report on all that had happened so far while Yukino showed up to help them.

Natsuki met her at the main doors with Shizuru. "Thanks for coming Yukino, I know the other HiMEs need you too but this is kind of important. At least for us it is."

Yukino smiled compassionately. "Of course Natsuki, anything I can do to help."

At first after Nagi's visit and Chie and Yohko's big reveal everyone had done their best to give Kuma some room thinking that the little Rogue would come swaggering back like it was all no big deal and then they could worry about trying to explain everything to her. About how her entire life had all been a huge lie. About how she was the genetically engineered half-Wylder daughter of Natsuki and Shizuru as well as an experimental HiME/Otome hybrid. But as the weeks past and Kuma failed to come forward out of the shadows she had supposedly hidden in they began to grow more and more anxious. Soon the whole palace was searching for her but Kuma proved to be very, VERY, good at staying hidden and avoiding detection. Even the state of the art surveillance system that was constantly being monitored by either Yohko or Chie proved to be of little help as it would only catch short glimpses of the small preteen and by the time anyone made it to where Kuma had been seen to investigate she was already long gone.

And even Mikoto with her strong sense of smell couldn't seem to track Kuma down. Mikoto's nose was good but it was better meant for finding food, or Mai. Kuma on the other hand didn't seem to leave much of a trail to follow. But then again, with a nose quite likely as good as a bloodhound's Kuma probably already knew how not to leave an obvious trail behind.

As frustration mounted to almost unbearable heights Natsuki had finally caved and called Fuka for back up in the form of the quietly intelligent Yukino Kikukawa.

Yukino with her Child Diana were better suited to reconnaissance, unlike the other HiMEs and their Childs who were all much better suited fighting on a battle field rather than anything else. Having acknowledged where her true talents lay years ago Yukino had spent a very long time diligently training to hone in her skills and strengthen Diana's powers. At first Yukino was only strong enough to monitor Fuka palace itself for a short period of time. With training she grew able to survey the palace of Fuka and it's grounds. Now she was more than capable of surveying the entire capital city for hours on end without growing weary in the slightest.

Now here she was in Garderobe to help her friends find the young Rogue who seemed bound and determined to avoid them all for the rest of their lives. And with the way the situation was looking that didn't seem to be totally impossible. Of course Yukino had already been brought up to speed on the situation as a whole. She found it utterly fascinating that Schwartz had, at one time, found a way to combine the DNA of two totally different woman with the DNA of completely separate race in order to create a child that was beyond a shadow of a doubt the biological child of both woman but also a member of a race completely separate from either of her blood parents.

She had never really gotten a chance to formally meet the young Rogue before the Otomes returned to Garderobe and took Kuma with them. Yukino wondered how similar the child was to Natsuki and Shizuru. And how was she different from them? Aw well, she supposed she would find out soon enough.

.

Kuma was getting tired of sneaking around but she really didn't have much of a choice. For the past four weeks she had struggled with herself to resist the ridiculously strong desire to go and just talk to Shizuru or even Natsuki. But, she was too much of a coward to face either of them now. So she did want she could to stay out of sight.

She had been out in a far corner of the gardens practicing with Red for the last several hours, and now covered in sticky sweat that had long since dried and the dust that had been flying as she practiced she stealthily trudged back into the palace where she snuck into her room before making her way to baths. It was midnight by now, no one would be there at this time of night.

.

Yukino had spent the past few hours talking with Haruka who wanted to know everything that had been going on in life. Unfortunately, Yukino's life tended to be very plain and quiet aside from the occasional Orphan attack, making her life a very dull and boring conversation. But, Haruka had paid full attention as Yukino talked as if her life were the most interesting thing in the world. Afterwards she had launched into a long-winded description of all that had happened to her since they had last seen each other. Yukino sat listening patiently with a content smile. As loud and imposing as Haruka tended to be she was practically harmless around Yukino and extremely caring. For that, and many other reasons, she was Yukino's most important person, and she loved the Meister dearly.

Eventually they ended up saying goodnight as it was rather late by now. Yet on her way to her rooms she made the decision to take bath before bed. It would save time since she wouldn't really need one in the morning. She grabbed her bathing things before heading to the baths which were open all night, though she doubted anyone else was awake right now.

.

Kuma had made quick work of scrubbing down til she could scrub no more before quickly climbing into the large bath after rising off. This time she sat in the shallow end where she could sit curled on the underwater ledge and lay her head on her arms as she leaned against the edge of the bath. Red lay well within reach beside her in case of trouble.

She really hadn't meant to, but she eventually fell asleep as the stress of four weeks of sneaking around and barely napping instead of risking sleep for fear of nightmares finally caught up with her weary body and exhaustion took her. She slept so deeply even her sharp nose wasn't able to warn that someone was coming.

.

Yukino had been quite surprised to see another set of clothes tucked away into one of the baskets, meaning that someone was already in the bath right now.

It didn't take her long to wash up and before long she found herself staring at a dark skinned well toned back covered in long and crisscrossing angry white scars. They obviously came from a whip. Several more scars, some shorter or smaller yet equally as angry, also dotted the small dark back. These appeared to be either stab wounds long since healed or old gunshot wounds. How could one so young, suffer so much and survive? Yukino like any other person in the world knew about child abuse, but this, this went well beyond the realm of abuse. Someone, or many someones, had tried to kill the child. How or why were not important.

Natsuki would NOT be happy about this. And she dearly doubted that even Shizuru would take this realization sitting down.

Thinking of those two women in question reminder her of why she was here. Well, it looked like they didn't really need her after all.

Carefully, silently she climbed into the steaming water and slowly inched her way closer to study the child. From she could see and at first glance, the dark skinned little Rogue looked nothing like either Natsuki or Shizuru. Yet, the more she looked at the child and thought about the more she noticed small similarities. She had bathe with the other HiMEs as well as the Otomes many times before and was familiar with their framework at least. Natsuki's body was lithe but not bulky, she was lightly muscled but well toned none the less. Shizuru's body, as far as she could recall, was of a similar build though more graceful in appearance. Kuma's body appeared more hardened then either of her blood parents but Yukino wrote that off as a result of her Wylder heritage and her rough life. After studying the Rogue's skin color she decided that it was a shade of tan somewhere between Shizuru's own color and the Captain of the Royal Guards', Sakomizu Cardinal. Not surprising since Sakomizu possessed some Free Nation heritage himself. Kuma's hair was like Shizuru's if you could ignore the extreme shortness of it. It was lighter and closer to blonde than Shizuru's own chestnut tresses but still close enough in color.

Distantly Yukino remembered what the others had told her about a Rogues Winter Morph, though they had yet to see Kuma go through hers yet. Yukino wondered how much the child would change in appearance. Would she be lighter and look more like Natsuki in color? Would her hair whiten and what about her eyes? Would they darken til they were red or change to green? And what about her other supposed change? Would her hair darken in the spring til it resembled the same navy blue as Natsuki's? What about when she grew older? Would she begin to look more like them or would she remain so different?

And her personality. From what Yukino had heard so far Kuma seemed to be bad-tempered kind of like Natsuki when she was upset about something. Even her voice was said to be somewhat similar to Natsuki's though not quite husky it was still a bit rough even for a young preteen.

As Yukino continued her scrutiny it occurred to her that she really needed to let Shizuru and Natsuki know that she had found there wayward and rebellious child.

.

Natsuki had run all the way from her rooms to the baths where she just managed to hold herself back from storming in and possibly frightening Kuma by accident. Shizuru was already there kneeling near to the still sleeping girl's head and carefully looking the young Rogue over for anything out of place. Though to be honest neither of them were familiar enough with the preteen to accurately know if there even was anything out of place.

Taking a moment to calm down Natsuki took the opportunity to get a good look at Kuma as well. The sight of yet more scars, the ones upon Kuma's back, filled her with cold hard anger and just barely managed to push it aside in favor of looking after her new daughter.

Movement caught her attention and Natsuki watched as Shizuru smoothly stood and silently made her way towards the washroom. Natsuki threw a quick glance at Kuma to check that she was still a sleep she caught sight of the towel clad Yukino who was still sitting in the bath not far from the dark preteen.

Yukino smiled and quietly whispered. "I'll keep an eye on her."

With a nod and one last glance at the still sleeping Kuma she followed the elegant Otome through the washroom and into the locker room where Shizuru promptly began to strip down to nothing but a towel.

Heat blossomed in her cheeks but she ignored it as she fervently whispered. "Shizuru! What are you doing?! Kuma–"

"Ara, does Natsuki not think that our daughter would more than likely be suspicious or even frightened to see us both fully dressed as if ready for a fight?" Shizuru murmured as she headed into the washroom to clean up before entering the bath.

After a moments thinking Natsuki started to strip down with a low grumble. She had to admit that Shizuru had a point, sort of. She was somewhat glad and slightly disappointed to find that Shizuru had already finished in the washroom and headed for the bath. Natsuki quickly bathed and wrapped herself in a towel before following Shizuru into the bath.

Shizuru had already climbed into the huge bath, Natsuki carefully followed her.

"Takehiko." Shizuru called softly. "Takehiko? Wake up." She reached out to gently touched the dozing preteens shoulder.

Kuma gave a small twitch at the gentle touch and didn't answer. Then with a small groan she childishly buried her face in arms. Soft snoring rose up not a moment later.

Shizuru found it positively adorable, but she really needed Kuma to wake up. Chie's warning about body temperature and its importance affect on the JEWEL within Kuma's body was echoing in her head, they needed to get Kuma out before her temperature rose too high. Or else.

Natsuki moved to Kuma's other side. "Kuma." She called.

Still no answer. Kuma was dead to the world right now.

Natsuki shared a concerned look with Shizuru. Understanding Shizuru carefully gathered Kuma's small body into her arms, she was somewhat amazed to find that her new daughter was surprisingly light even with her small size.

Natsuki would have blushed if it weren't for the small towel wrapped around Kuma's waste to save her modesty. She watched as Shizuru gently adjusted her hold on Kuma until she could hold the petite preteen comfortably. Kuma didn't stir even once, she merely curled instinctively into Shizuru's body. Natsuki had to admit it was pretty cute.

"Shizuru?" Natsuki was more than a little worried now.

Shizuru was already carefully checking Kuma's body for any sign that she was injured or sick. "There's nothing wrong but I think we need to visit Yohko just to be sure. I–" She stopped, staring.

Natsuki felt her hackles rise at seeing the intense look in Shizuru's eyes. "Shizuru, what–?"

"Natsuki, look." Shizuru shifted to allow Natsuki a better view of Kuma's front.

Frowning, Natsuki stepped forward to take a better look at the young Rogue. She barely restrained the desire to swear and rant over what she saw as the cold fury grew tenfold.

Distantly she could recall that Yohko had told them about how the worst of Kuma's scars were located on her torso, but even so, she wasn't prepared for what she saw. There were several more little white scars scattered haphazardly all across Kuma's stomach and chest. But the worst ones of all, the ones that held her focus, were the two massively long scars crisscrossing the Rogue's flat chest. They were two different scars that crossed each other in an irregular X pattern. One scar stretched from the top of her left shoulder to and ended at what she assumed was the bottom of the right half of Kuma's rib cage. The other scar stretched from a spot just below the right side of her collarbone and a little ways from her armpit all the way to her left hip. They were the same angry blaring white as all her others scars yet these two scars seemed to scream the loudest against Kuma's colored skin.

Natsuki felt her jaw stiffen. "We need to talk to Yohko," Hardened emerald eyes locked with smouldering rubies. "now."

.

"Well?" Natsuki demanded as Yohko stood up and marked something on her clipboard. She stood leaning against the desk in Kuma's room with her arms crossed. They had brought Kuma there since it was closer after calling for Yohko to check if something was wrong. All three of them were now dressed in bed clothes. Natsuki was dressed in her usual powder blue silk pajamas, Shizuru in her pale violet sleeping kimono, and the still sleeping Kuma in her new snow white satin pajama pants, the matching shirt was folded up next to the bed where she lay.

"She's fine, just exhausted." Yohko assured.

"She barely even twitched when Shizuru picked her up. You're positive she's ok?" Natsuki wanted to be sure.

"From what I've seen your girl here has signs of sleep deprivation as signs of stress build up." She glanced at them. "Four weeks worth to be exact. The amount of stress coupled with the lack of sleep just caught up with her."

"So why doesn't she react?" Natsuki was getting tired of beating around the bush.

"In response to the sleep deprivation her body has automatically shut down along with her mind which has entered the third stage of NREM sleep, Non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep, known as slow-wave sleep, or 'deep sleep' so to speak. In that level of sleep the conscious mind is completely unaware of their surroundings. Some people naturally sleep like a majority of the time that they do sleep and many claim that these people could 'sleep through an earthquake and wake up non the wiser to it later'. Theoretically speaking, that might be possible."

"Meaning...?" Natsuki watched as Shizuru knelt down next to the bed before carefully sitting Kuma up in order to slip the button front sleep shirt on her.

Yohko smile at the two women, they were starting to act like parents already. "She's perfectly fine and will eventually wake up on her own once her body has had its rest."

"Thank you, Yohko-Sensei. You've been a great help" Shizuru murmured softly.

"My pleasure, Shizuru, Natsuki. Goodnight." Yohko bowed her way out.

"Goodnight." They replied as one. The door closed softly a moment later and they were left alone in silence.

.

As the night had passed Natsuki had grown weary and eventually slouched into the desk chair though it wasn't too comfortable. Shizuru remained kneeling next to the bed where Kuma lay quietly watching the softly snoring child.

Natsuki found her thoughts wandering as she watched the two of them. Fears and doubts reared their ugly heads as her mind drifted slowly. "Shizuru?" She called.

Crimson eyes focused on her affectionately in the semi-darkness of the room. "Yes, Natsuki?"

"How are we supposed to tell her? What–?" Natsuki swallowed and licked her lips nervously. "What if, she doesn't want us? What if–?" She let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "What if she leaves, and we never see her again?"

"Natsuki has been thinking about Kuma quite a bit lately." Shizuru observed gently.

"How can I not?" Natsuki got up and started pacing, grow more and more agitated by the second. "Shizuru, she's **_our_** **_daughter_** for pity's sake! Our _daughter_ who we've known nothing about for the past twelve odd years! Our _daughter_ who has been used and abused for those same past twelve odd years! Our _daughter_ who is a living weapon designed and created by Schwartz for war! How can I not think and worry about her?! How can I not worry about how we're supposed to tell her that her entire life up until now, has all been a lie? How everything she's ever known or believed is all probably untrue? About how the man she has practically revered as her father was more than likely only raising her to be his own personal tool in a war she had no business being a part of? How her very blood is the key to a power she has within her that we can't even begin to understand? Tell me _how_, Shizuru?! Because I honestly don't know." Natsuki stopped as she felt deceptively slender arms wrap around her from behind as Shizuru hugged her reassuringly.

Shizuru rested her chin on her love's strong shoulder, their faces so close that their cheeks were brushing. "I do not know what to tell Natsuki. Nor do I know how we should tell our daughter. What I do know is that we owe it to Kuma to tell her everything we can. It is the least she deserves if nothing else." She took a moment to cuddle closer and enjoy the intimate contact before continuing. "I do not know if Kuma will want to stay with us, but neither do I know if she won't. I am not sure how our daughter will react, but I do know that however she reacts, we will do all we can to help her." She moved her head slightly to get a better look at the HiMEs lovely face. "Does that help, my Natsuki?"

Natsuki took a few minutes to let it all sink in before a soft chuckle escaped her as she let herself relax. "Yeah, Shizuru." Natsuki reached up to grip a delicate hand then squeezed it gently. Turning her head slightly she smiled at her dearest friend as she felt her heart warming. "That really does."

.

Eventually Natsuki had started to fall asleep sitting up. Acknowledging that neither of them would be any good to anyone the next day asleep on their feet Shizuru had managed to talk Natsuki into going to bed. Natsuki hadn't wanted to for fear that Kuma would wake up and run before they could talk. But Shizuru had insisted by gently but insistently tugging on Natsuki's arm and pulled them into her personal room next door to sleep.

Natsuki didn't even bother to try to argue after that, she would have liked to sleep in her own room but she really was afraid that Kuma would wake up and disappear. Since Shizuru's room was right next door they at least stood a chance of catching her on the run. She wasn't uncomfortable with sharing a room with Shizuru, she trusted the other woman with her soul, she just wasn't used to sharing a room with anyone at all. Luckily the bed was more than big enough for the both of them to sleep comfortably.

But, Natsuki was woken up the next morning when her body became aware of a heavy weight on top of her. When she opened her eyes she found herself staring into the beautiful face of her accidental bedmate. She felt her body stiffen up as her face flushed with embracement, (And maybe a little of something else. ;D). Fortunately, (Or more like unfortunately), Shizuru started to wake up not long after.

"Mm." Shizuru snuggled into the warm body underneath her comfortably.

Natsuki let out a startled squeak as her face went from pink to red as she stuttered. "Sh-SHIZURU!"

Garnet colored orbs opened slowly to focus on wide emeralds lovingly. "Morning, Natsuki."

"M-morning." Natsuki couldn't tear her eyes away from warm garnets. "Um, do- do you mind moving?"

Shizuru blinked. "Ara, does Natsuki find me heavy? Are you uncomfortable?"

_'Not really, no.'_ The words whispered through her mind. Natsuki inwardly shook the thought away before speaking. "You're not heavy Shizuru I just want to get up and check on Kuma. I don't want her to leave before we can tell her."

"Oh, Natsuki is becoming such an attentive father already." Shizuru teased.

"F-father?! Why am I the father?" Natsuki flushed adorably before her expression clouded sadly. "And we don't even know if Kuma will accept us."

Shizuru tapped the navy-haired HiME on the nose gently to get her focuses. "I believe we already about this last night."

"Right..." Natsuki smiled slightly, then frowned. "But, that still doesn't explain why I'm suddenly the father."

"Ara, does Natsuki not remember promising to be my husband as well as Kuma's papa before everything happened?" Shizuru carefully got up and started to get ready for the day.

"Oh, right. I kind of forgot after awhile what with everything that's been going on." Natsuki sat on the edge of the bed, debating whether she could run to her rooms to change and get back in time to make sure Kuma hadn't run. Or if she should check the child now and then go get dressed.

Shizuru pouted. "How terrible of Natsuki to forget that we're married now."

Natsuki stilled instantly from putting on her slippers as her face turned scarlet. "SHIZURU!!! We are NOT married! We didn't even have a ceremony for Pete's sake!"

"Does Natsuki want to have a ceremony? I'm sure we could arrange one." She purposely ignored Natsuki's denial of their 'marital status'.

"What!?" Natsuki couldn't believe her ears. _'How the hell does this woman take everything I say and twist it around til it's something else that suits what SHE wants?!'_

_.  
_

"How long has it been?" Chie looked at Natsuki and Shizuru the both of which were carefully watching Yohko re-examine the still sleeping form of the current focus of their discussion. One Takehiko Kumabushi, the recently discovered daughter of both Shizuru Fujiola and Natsuki Kruga.

"About nine hours I believe." Shizuru replied somewhat distractedly.

"You're positive their isn't something wrong with her?" Natsuki asked Yohko.

"I am absolutely positive that there is nothing seriously wrong with Kuma, Natsuki. The only thing I can find is the signs of lack of sleep and stress from the past four weeks that she has spent hiding and sneaking around. She's also probably been suffering from nightmares which would explain why she hasn't been sleeping enough." Yohko answered patiently.

"But she's been sleeping for over nine hours now." Natsuki was starting to feel frustrated. "Shouldn't she be awake yet?"

"On average children from the age of five to twelve need approximately nine to eleven hours of sleep."

Yukino felt a smile blossom as she watched from her spot near the wall. It really was kind of adorable how Natsuki was already acting like a concerned new mother. The other Otomes were also there to see how Kuma was doing. They had practically come running once they heard that Kuma had been found.

Haruka herself felt kind of cheated about the whole thing. They had spent four weeks looking for the rebellious little brat, Yukino had even been asked to come and help them because it was taking so long. And what happens? They find the kid napping in the bath for pity's sake! How unfair was that?

"She'll be thirteen come winter." Natsuki pointed out.

"Be that as it may it's not unheard of for even a thirteen year old to sleep so long. She'll wake up when her body's finished resting."

"Pardon me?" All eyes turned to look at Ahn who had just showed up with her niece Sara not far behind.

"What is it, Ahn?" Shizuru asked.

"Does anyone mind explaining this whole situation to me? I'm afraid I only received the abridged version so I'm still a bit lost."

"I would also like to know as well." Yukino spoke up politely. "Nao was not entirely clear when she tried to explain everything to me."

Chie sighed slightly but obligingly launched into a detail recount of everything she had told everyone else before, with Yohko occasionally adding in her expertise on the situation.

Yohko finished looking Kuma over as Chie recounted absolutely everything, as she was packing she noticed a slight change in Kuma's breathing though the youngster seemed to be asleep still. Rather than alert anyone she decided to just leave it be, what with Natsuki and Shizuru's concern about how to tell Kuma. She waited until Chie had finished before suggesting they move on to a different room.

"What's wrong?" Chie asked.

"Nothing." Yohko smiled. "I simply don't imagine that Kuma would be entirely overjoyed to wake up and find herself surrounded by a room full of the same people she has spent more than four weeks avoiding." She looked at Natsuki and Shizuru pointedly. "And some of us haven't had the chance to eat yet."

Natsuki shook her head stubbornly. "I'm not hungry yet."

"Natsuki, you need to eat."

Natsuki glared. "We need to wait for Kuma to wake up so we can explain. I don't to have to spend another four weeks chasing after her just so we can talk to her."

Yohko glanced at Kuma. "And what is it you intend to tell her?"

"That we're here!" Natsuki kept herself from shouting. "That we're both right here!"

"What is that supposed to mean for Kuma?"

"She _our **child**_ Yohko, don't you get it?! She's mine and Shizuru's, and we never even knew!" Natsuki could feel the frustration and anxiety that she'd been fighting with for weeks rising to the surface again. "She was born in a laboratory, a _fucking **laboratory**_! Miles away from either of us by a bunch of sick bastards that decided they wanted to create their own personal pet for war! They made her using our DNA and some random Wylder DNA. We never even knew that she existed before!" Natsuki wanted to pull her hair out! She wanted to scream! She wanted to kick someone's goddamn ass! "She's been used and abused for _years_! People have been _trying_ to _kill her_! Not only that, the one man she believed was her father lied to her! He used her as his own personal tool!"

"But what is all this supposed to mean for Kuma? What do you two intend to once you tell her?" Yohko shifted her focus to chestnut-haired Otome who had been silent so far. "Shizuru-San? What do you want with Kuma? What are your intentions?"

Shizuru had remained silent in order to keep from saying something that might alarm the others. She didn't want to frighten anyone after all. Truth be told she was just as concerned for how Kuma would react to the news as Natsuki. Just as scandalized and outraged by what Schwartz and their scientists had done, as the short-tempered HiME was. How **_dare_** they make a child of her and Natsuki with the intention to use that child for the sake of their own sick twisted ideals?! For their own damnable benefit! How **_dare_** they keep that child a secret from them?! How **_dare_** they even so much as _dream_ that they'd ever get away with it unscathed?! Why she'd–! No, no. Calm down, blind rage never did anyone any good.

Natsuki felt her hackles begin to rise as she sensed something seriously off with her friend. She shook the fear away easily, she had no need to be afraid of the other woman. Natsuki knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Shizuru would never harm her even by accident. After a moment the ominous aura went away and Shizuru focused on Yohko.

"I intend, Yohko-Sensei, to do everything I can for my daughter. And if she is willing, if she'll accept us, I would like to officially claim Kuma as my–" She looked at Natsuki. "**OUR** child and I would also like to make her an official member of both our families. I already know that my Natsuki here will approve of course."

"Of course I want her to be part of my family as well as yours. I want to her to be our daughter, for real from now on. I want to help her, take care of her, and protect her from any of the damn bastards who think they can hurt her and not pay for it."

Yohko smiled as she glanced one last time at Kuma. "That's great to hear, I was a little worried about how you would react."

Natsuki frowned at the doctor at that. "They might call me the Ice Princess with good reason but even I'm not so utterly arctic that I can turn my back on a child when I can do something for them. Especially not my own blood daughter."

"So you're just going to adopt her?" Haruka asked boldly. "Just like that? Even after what you heard her admit to doing? Despite what she could be capable of?"

Two sets of gemstone colored eyes focus sharply on the loud mouthed Otome. One set glared as coldly as an arctic glacier, the other stared with an intense that only a few could ever hope to match.

"You listen to me, Armitage." Natsuki said slowly, coldly. "I don't give a good goddamn what she did before we met her. I don't care about what she might be capable of doing. If you even so much as think of ever hurting Kuma I will make you sorry you ever thought at all."

"Kuma may be capable of a great deal of things, even ones that are potentially dangerous, but so are we all. Whatever she has done, whatever she may be capable of doing, Kuma is no more a threat to any of us then we are to each other without great reason." Shizuru spoke slowly, deliberately. "I do not believe you will ever bring harm to our child Haruka." Though it was not spoken outright, everyone heard the very subtle, very real, threat behind her words.

With the two of them as Kuma's parents, no one would ever get away with hurting her ever again.

Yohko ushered everyone else and gave Natsuki strict orders to eat a solid breakfast before she could even think of coming back. Shizuru really hadn't argued too much but she still had to be forcibly told that she need to eat or else.

The doctor breathed a sigh as she finally shut the door. She didn't need to have sharp hearing to know that the rooms of occupant had just sat up.

"I hope you managed to hear everything." Yohko said pleasantly without turning around. "Chie may love to talk but she honestly is getting a little tired of explaining everything over and over again."

"Is it true?" The voice was raspy with sleep but still recognizable none the less. "Was I really made by Schwartz?

"Yes, it's all true."

"And Shizuru and Natsuki, they're really my parents?"

"The test don't lie, and even so I've redone the tests multiple times. There's no doubt about it, Shizuru Fujiola and Natsuki Kruga are your real parents."

"I see..."

Yohko waited for Kuma to say more, to ask another question maybe, but when the silence merely lengthened she pushed herself to make a decision. "I'll have one of the maids bring you some breakfast. I imagine you have a great deal to think about now." She glanced back at the small figure. Looking at her now Kuma looked smaller than ever, like a lost child which she truly was.

"Thanks." Brown eyes lifted slowly to focus on her. "How did you know I was awake anyhow?"

"The same I know neither of yours eyes are actually the same matching light brown. I paid attention to the details. When you spend years looking after harsh wounds and watching out for dangerous diseases you begin to realize that sometimes the smallest, most insignificant things can easily become the most important." She watched the eyes in question widen in honest and utter shock. Then hesitantly Kuma reached up and began fussing with them. "How long have you worn those contacts?"

"Chichiu– Ryubumon–" Kuma paused with a frustrated frown at the name of the man she had always thought was her father. "He always made me wear them. He said that my eyes were too odd, attracted to much attention, and for that they were too easy to remember. Told me that for the sake of security it was best if I always wore a pair of colored contacts. He used to make me die my hair dark too when it was too cold to just shave it all off."

"I don't imagine that either one of them are prescription contacts lenses?"

"No, they're not. They're just regular colored contacts, generally meant for cosmetic or theatrical use only." Kuma blinked rapidly once she'd finally managed to remove the annoying little objects. "I've been wearing contacts for so long I can hardly remember how good it feels to go without them." She was quiet as she rubbed her eyes irritably.

"May I see?" Yohko approached slowly and Kuma handed the tiny lenses over wordlessly. Yohko scrutinized the contacts for several seconds before speaking. "Their very well made. If I didn't already know how to recognize the signs for when someone is using cosmetic contacts, I never would have known that you were wearing them."

"The old man always knew who to go to for the best." Kuma replied dully. "You know, I always knew that it was kind of weird how I looked nothing like him. But I just shrugged it off and figured it was normal for a Rogue to look nothing like their parents."

Yohko turned her attention back to her young patient and found herself staring into two very different yet equally startling eyes. The right eye was an intense shade of crimson red, while the left was an astoundingly cool forest green. Yohko found herself smiling at the mixture of lost and confusing emotions she saw swirling in those astonishing eyes. "If you don't mind my saying so, I'd say you look more like your parents then you think."

Kuma blinked and tilted her head curiously at that but said nothing in reply.

Turning Yohko started for the door. "Like I offered before, I'll ask one of the maids to bring you some breakfast. You'll need a good meal to help with all the thinking I imagine you'll be doing."

"Sure. Thanks."

Yohko nodded as she opened the door but paused before leaving. "By the way." She waited for Kuma to look at her. "If you're thinking of going off somewhere to brood again, I suggest not going very far. Natsuki seemed half ready to tear her hair out worrying about you these past few weeks. And although she doesn't always show it so obviously, Shizuru was quite concerned as well."

"I'll try and keep that in mind doc."

Yohko was out the door after giving one final nod of acknowledgment at that.

Kuma sighed heavily as she lay back to try and get comfortable after making sure that Red was nearby and within reach as usual. She had a lot to think about right now.

.

Natsuki practically wolfed down her breakfast in an attempt to get back to check on Kuma as fast as possible. Shizuru ate much more elegantly but just as quickly as the navy-haired HiME. Unfortunately, no matter how quickly they ate, Natsuki nearly chocked on her bacon when she tried to inhale it, when they finally got back to the room all they found was an empty breakfast tray beside the empty bed.

Natsuki swore and immediately took off to find Yukino. They did not just get that child back to loose her again.

Shizuru watched Natsuki take off but knew that the irate woman wouldn't find the mousy HiME so quickly as she wanted to. On a whim she wandered off down a random hallway , up a flight of stairs, and before she even realized how far she had gone she found herself walking down a hall with large bright windows that overlooked the garden. As she walked she caught the faint sound of someone singing. As she got closer to the singing she realized that she was hearing a variation of what was often referred to as _Schubert's Ave Maria_.  
_  
_"_Ave Maria  
Where is the justice in this world?  
The wicked make so much noice mother  
The righteous stay oddly still  
With no wisdom  
All of the riches in the world  
Leaves us poor tonight_"

This version was one which she had never before heard but found strangely likable none the less. It wasn't very hard to recognize the singer even though she had only ever heard them sing once.  
_  
_"_And strength is not without humility  
It's weakness and untreatable disease  
And war is always the choice  
Of the chosen  
Who will not have to fight  
Ave Maria_"

She followed the slow sounds of the young treble voice until she turned a corner and finally spotted the elusive preteen sitting on the sill of one of the garden windows with her knee pulled up to balance an arm on it comfortably as she stared fully out the window. Her slouched posture was somewhat reminiscent of a young Natsuki when she was lost in thought.

"_Ave Maria  
Gratia plena  
Maria gratia plena  
Maria gratia plena  
Ave ave Dominus  
Te cum_"

Still listen Shizuru stepped back and used her GEM's communication option to quietly Chie and have her tell Natsuki where she was.

"_And strength is not without humility  
It's weakness and untreatable disease  
And war is always the choice  
Of the chosen  
Who will not have to fight_"

Stepping forward she peeked around the corner at Kuma once more just as the song came to an end.

"_Ave Maria_"

Silence reigned as Shizuru debated about whether she should confront Kuma and start explaining now or wait for Natsuki. She soon found the decision taken out of her hands as Kuma suddenly spoke.

Kuma didn't even bother to turn around and look when she spoke. "You do realize that I can actually smell where you are, right?"

"Ara, is Takehiko trying to say that I stink?" Shizuru teased lightly as she stepped around the corner.

"You don't actually stink. To be honest, you smell more like lilacs and rainstorms in the summer to me than anything else."

"Really? Then I wonder how Natsuki smells to you." Shizuru struck a thoughtful pose even though Kuma still hadn't turned to look at her.

"Like a forest in mid-winter and fresh clean earth."

Shizuru had noticed the change in Kuma's voice. It was no longer the same childishly ridiculous growl they had all grown used to over time. Now it was more of a light childish sort of husk that would darken in time as she matured. There was also a very light accent in her voice that wasn't entirely different from Shizuru's own naturally thick yet elegant accent. She wondered at the change but realized that Kuma must have been covering it with the harsh growl in order to disguise her real voice.

"Can you recognize everyone by their scents alone?" Shizuru was a bit curious.

"Actually I can. You guys might not really noticed the difference in your scents unless you bury your nose in it but I can. Even if I were to go blind because of a freak accident I could easily recognize any of you just by scent alone."

Natsuki finally showed up slightly out of breath from running all the way. "Kuma!" Natsuki panted a bit before straightening up with a somber expression. "We need to talk."

"I already know what you have to tell me."

"What?" Natsuki frown, what did Kuma mean she already knew. They hadn't even told her yet.

"I actually woke up a little before Chie started talking so I already heard everything." Kuma finally turned to focus mismatched eyes on the two older woman. "Including everything you guys told Yohko."

Natsuki stared at the two colored eyes of her wayward daughter in shock. She had grown so used to seeing cinnamon brown every time she looked the little Rogue in the eyes that it came as a serious mind-stopper to suddenly find herself staring at crimson and emerald. "What–? Kuma, your eyes–?"

"Cosmetic contact lenses." Kuma explained simply. "Chichiu– Ryubumon–" Kuma frowned. "HE always made me wear them and I needed up wearing them so much that it became an almost unconscious habit to wear them all the time."

"And your voice?" Shizuru asked as she blinked away her surprise.

"It was too 'peculiar' so to speak, so he made me cover it up too. Always made me shave my hair too unless it was cold."

Natsuki shook off her shock. It really shouldn't be such a surprise, she was both of their daughter. She just didn't imagine she could have both of their eyes. "What happened if it was cold?"

"Black hair die."

Natsuki felt her anger rise once more towards the man she had never met, nor would she ever meet him. "Did he ever tell you? Even once? Did he ever tell you anything?"

"Not so much as a whisper of a word."

Natsuki growled. That goddamn son-of-a–!

"So what exactly does this make me now? What am I supposed to do?" Kuma glared at a wall in frustration. "What the heck am I even supposed to call you?!"

"What this makes you is our daughter. What your supposed to do is all up to you." Shizuru approached the frustrated preteen but stopped about a foot away. "As for what you could call us well, I'm sure _Kaasan_ and _Tousan_ are a good place to start."

"That is," Natsuki came to stand beside the elegant Otome. "if you want us as your parents."

Kuma studied the two of them seriously for several heavy minutes before speaking. "I've just got one question."

"That being?" Natsuki asked.

Kuma cracked a small almost wry smirk. "Which one of you is my father?"

Natsuki instantly blushed bright red as Shizuru resisted the urge to giggle insanely. Looks like they now had a family in the making.

* * *

**AN**  
And there's some Shiznat fluff for ya! It may not be a lot but it's still there right?

I don't know what the sleepwear version of the Japanese kimono is called so, meh. *shrug*

About the whole 'theory' that someone could sleep through an earthquake while in slow-wave sleep, I have no idea if that's actually possible and it's more than likely utter bullshit on my part. I just wrote it because it sounded cool at the time. Unless it's actually true then, go figure. *shrug*

Shizuru is a seriously scary protective mother. She's like a freakin' lioness. Mess with Kuma and kiss your ass goodbye. To be serious, I said before when someone complained about the awkwardness of her and Natsuki's new last names, Fujiola and Kruga, that I combined their HiME and Otome names because the characters themselves are a combination of the two series counterparts. And, well, now we get a glimpse of the craziness she's capable of. If it somehow bothers you then try thinking of it this way, if she's already terrifyingly protective of Natsuki, then she's definately going to be extremely protective of their child. Natsuki's pretty damn protective too of course.

Once again my inclination to music shows through. I'm not a very religious person but I do think that _Ave Maria_ is a really beautiful song. The version of Ave Maria that Kuma sings here is actually the U2 version of _Schubert's Ave Maria_ sung by Bono and Pavarotti and it is my favorite version so far.

_Kaasan & Tousan_ - I'm pretty damn sure that _Kaasan_ is one way to say "Mother" in Japanese while _Tousan_ is another word for "Father". Can't think of any other ways to say mother or father so if anyone knows feel free to tell me though I may not understand how to use them properly or when.

Review? It fills me with a warm and fuzzy feeling and it makes me believe that my writing is actually worth something.

Quick warning, it might take me a while update again. A week at the absolute most hopefully other wise that'll be a pain in the ass and unfair to you guys who've actually had to wait for months for me to update before. It's just that I'm having trouble starting off the next chapter and I don't want it to sound half-assed. As soon as I can manage to get the chapter started it'll be done in a fly cause I'll be on a roll once it gets started. Ok? So please just bear with me here. Thank you so much for your understanding and patient so far as well as all your support.


	13. Chapter 13

Yay, update! And I got it done sooner than even I expected too. Thank you all so much for the reviews as well!

* * *

Chapter 13

"HA!" The sounds of metal clashing with metal rang within the mostly deserted arena while sparks flew as swords met again and again in a fierce sparing match between the tiny Rogue and the small HiME.

It had been a little over two months since Kuma had accepted Natsuki and Shizuru as her rightfully parents and since then they had all three struggled to find some semblance of a balance between them. Kuma had been slowly but surely opening up to the two women who had now assumed their roles as parents but it was hard goings. It was hard for Kuma who had never truly been a part of a really and honest family. But it was hard for Natsuki and Shizuru too who had never been parents before. Sure Natsuki had been a large part of her little sister Alyssa's upbringing but that didn't automatically qualify her as a good parent. Shizuru had been involved in the training of some of the young Otome trainees including Nina and Erstin but that didn't really make her a natural mother either. Not only that the both of them, Natsuki and Shizuru, now had to find a balance in their now altered relationship as well.

The other Otomes as well as the other two guest HiMEs did their best to help out however they could but there was really only so much that they could do honestly.

Yohko had immediately began testing Kuma medically as well as physically. The current test came in the form of today's sparing match between Kuma and Mikoto as well as a separate match between Natsuki and Shizuru. Yohko had all four of them wired with expensive equipment designed to monitor everything and record it to be studied and compared later. Yohko had explained the test as an attempt to get a feel for just what Kuma was capable of compared to an already accomplished HiME and Otome. She was also going to compare the girl's own data to that of her parents who were currently sparing with each other on the other side of the arena in case there were any obvious similarities that could help them better understand how best to train Kuma as she grew older. The matches were each being recorded on video to be reviewed later as well.

Mikoto spun around dragging Miroku on the ground and as she spun she hefted the great sword up in what seemed to be an attempt to slice Kuma in half.

Kuma desperately tried to block the devastating attack with Red by holding the Kriegsmesser point down and edge out with the back of the blade balanced against the left side of her body for support. It worked for the most part though the strength of the strike forced her to jump back and away unless she wanted her left arm to completely shatter under the sheer force of the blow. Taking a chance Kuma darted forward to try and get closer for a better strike.

Seeing this Mikoto quickly drove Miroku into the a dark portal that had suddenly opened up on ground, summoning the black spikes which instantly rose up from the ground aiming directly at Kuma.

Caught off guard for an instant one of the spikes which suddenly sprouted second spike branching off of it aiming right for her face. If she hadn't reacted by jerking back and jumping away the attack would have gouged out her eye, instead it only managed to reopen the tiny old white scar on Kuma's nose. Blood instantly began flowing freely from the wound but Kuma could barely even feel the pain her adrenaline was pumping so hard.

It was Mikoto's turn to be caught off guard as Kuma began using the sharp black spikes as impromptu stepping stones by bouncing off of their sides.

Kuma leapt from spike edge to spike edge in zig-zag pattern heading straight for Mikoto.

Mikoto swiftly pulled Miroku out of the portal allowing the spikes to fade away.

Kuma jumped at the last second leaping straight up in the air and came down at Mikoto trying to aim an aerial strike at the golden-eyed HiME's spiky-haired head.

Mikoto leapt back out of the way quickly just managing to avoid having her skull split open by Kuma's strike. As it was Kuma's attack missed but the edge of her blade did open up a small cut on the cat-like HiME's cheek.

Red ended up slightly buried into the ground but Kuma merely to flip her body up and over the hilt with out ever letting go and using her weight and momentum to the greatest advantage she managed to smoothly pulled the sword up and out the ground. She made a swipe at Mikoto's stomach.

Mikoto blocked the swipe easily before they started trading blows all over again.

"How are they doing?" Mashiro asked as she came to stand beside Yohko with Rena and Elliot close behind her.

"Amazingly well, your Majesty." Yohko answered as she typed a few keys to bring up another window of data that she began reading as the fight continued.

Mashiro watched the mock battle for several seconds. _"Mock battle indeed."_ Mashiro thought skeptically. It looked more like Kuma and Mikoto were honestly trying to kill each other out there. They were both certainly bleeding enough from the fight already. She glanced over at an anxious Mai who was watching the fight closely with a look of apprehension on her face. Apparently Mashiro wasn't the only one who had trouble believe that their battle was anything but real.

"She still hasn't been able to Materialize a robe or anything like one." Chie spoke up from where she was watching multiple windows, each showing a different camera angle of the fight between the two short combatants.

"I see." Mashiro murmured distractedly. Yohko had been testing for weeks to try and find a way for Kuma to Materialize. All of the test told them that Kuma could, or at least SHOULD, be able to Materialize. Unfortunately, Kuma still had yet to manage to activate her JEWEL-BLOOD as it was. "What have you learned about her sword?"

"It's definately an Element but there's something off about it." Yohko replied.

"What do you mean? What's so strange about it?"

"It's an Element, there's no doubt about that. But it's almost as if it's missing something important, like it's not really completely."

Mashiro was stumped, this was completely unheard of. "Are you trying to say she hasn't fully summoned her Element?"

"I think so." Yohko took moment to think about it. "Yes, yes that's exactly what I'm saying."

"Well fully summoned or not," Elliot spoke up as she watched the screen. "she certainly seems to be holding her own against Mikoto-Chan."

They other turned their attention back to the screen just in time to Kuma dodge an overhanded strike from Mikoto before countering with and underhanded strike which Mikoto quickly blocked before they separated and then began all over again.

"She certainly is." Chie remarked as she checked in on Shizuru and Natsuki. The both of them had expressed a desire NOT to fight each other but with a bit of convincing from Yohko who both of their latest battle data for comparison with Kuma they had agreed to spar for some time. At first they had been hesitant and had simply spared bare handed but at Yohko's insistence once again they had finally pulled out the stops. Natsuki had summoned both her pistols AND Duran while Shizuru Materialized her Robe along with her double-bladed katana.

Currently Natsuki was trying to keep Shizuru at bay with her pistols while waiting for Duran to load one of his more harmless cartridges in order to fire. But Shizuru's katana had a mind boggling reach and it was hard to really get a shot on her when Shizuru was using the ribbons of her Robe to knock all her shots aside. While aiming sword swipes at Duran to force him back and keep him from firing his own shot at her.

"I know Kuma said that she and Mikoto have been sparing in their free time but I never expected Kuma to really be able to keep up." Yohko remarked.

"Even I would have had trouble keeping up with Mikoto for long." Rena remarked. "How long have they been going for so far?"

"It's going on about three hours now." Yohko said glancing at the Ex-Otome. Before she became pregnant with Arika four years ago, Rena had been one of the strongest Otome any of them had ever seen before. For her to admit that SHE would have had trouble was obviously saying something for Kuma's abilities and potential.

"And it looks like she reached her limit." Chie noticed Kuma slowing down.

"Mikoto as well." Mai finally spoke as she watched the screen. "She doesn't usually do long battles but she's still extremely powerful."

Yohko typed a few keys before flipping a switch to activate the arena com-system. "All right, we have enough data for now. You can all stop."

Unfortunately she spoke a bit too late as Mikoto sent Kuma flying start for a pillar.

Natsuki caught sight of this out of the corner of her eye. "DURAN!"

Duran vanished only to reappear an instant later just a few feet in front of the pillar holding Kuma by the back of her shirt where he had caught her. The mecha wolf carefully set his small charge on the ground before he began investigating her, his delicate sensors allowing him to look beyond the surface to check for internal injuries. Finding now Duran lay down behind Kuma to wait for his HiME to arrive and see to her daughter. Kuma instantly leaned back against him panting as Shizuru touched down while holding Natsuki in front of them.

"What happened?" Natsuki instantly took in the blood drying on her daughter's face from the nose wound as well as a few other minuscule cuts on her arms. Shizuru knelt down to preform a closer inspection since she had the experience and knowledge to take care of field wounds.

"It's no big deal, Tousan." Kuma panted out, using the new name she had taken to calling Natsuki by. She didn't even bother trying to stop Shizuru from her fussing. She was beginning to become somewhat familiar with just how forceful her red-eyed mother could be when she went into 'mother-mode'. "I got sloppy and Mikoto threw a good hit, that's all."

"You're bleeding, I'd say that's a pretty damn big deal." Natsuki gave her daughter a skeptical look.

"What do you expect? It's not as if either of us were using practice swords." Kuma glanced up at the mechanical wolf she was still leaning against. "Nice catch Duran."

Duran nudged her with his muzzle gently. When Kuma and Duran had first met each other in an attempt to give her an idea of what a Child is like neither the Rogue or the Child had seemed to know quite what to make of each other. Kuma had been utterly fascinated by the mecha and hadn't appeared the least bit afraid even when Duran decide to inspect her up close. Duran on the other hand had seem first confused then curious, his sensors showed him far more than what any natural creature would ever see. What he saw in Kuma was a small part of his master Natsuki, he recognized Kuma as his master's child as well as Shizuru's child and for that he accepted as 'pack' in a way similar to how he instinctively accepted Shizuru as Natsuki's most important person and a member of their 'pack'.

Kuma suddenly jerked as Shizuru prodded a particularly sensitive spot on her knee where she had scraped it on the ground. "Ow! Damnit quite that!" Kuma tried to swat at Shizuru's hands.

"Hiko should not wiggle around so much." Shizuru remarked as she moved on to the next small wound gently.

"Yeah, well, Hiko doesn't really like being poked by her _Haha_." Kuma grumped but held still obligingly. Kuma hadn't been able to call Shizuru mother despite the fact that it was the role the Meister Otome had taken on while Natsuki took the role of father. She had no problem teasing her so called father by calling Natsuki _Tousan_ or _Chichi_. She tried calling her emerald-eyed parent _Oyaji _once but Natsuki wasn't buying that title. Instead Kuma found it a thousand times easier to refer to Shizuru as simply _Haha_ rather than Mother. She had no idea why the Japanese word was easier to say than English but whatever. It worked for her and no one bothered to complain so neither would she.

"Well if Hiko didn't end up wounded when she was only supposed to be sparring." Shizuru admonished.

"I'm really sorry Kuma." Mikoto stood a few feet away, just in case Natsuki and Shizuru decided to get defensive right now.

"It's fine I shouldn't have tried to take it head on like that." Kuma managed a wry smile at for the cat-like HiME. Out of everyone else the she connected with Mikoto the easiest. The spiky-haired HiME was also one of the most interesting of the lot so far. Mikoto act childish and wild but she was actually older than she looked or seemed and could be mature when she needed to be.

Mikoto shifted a bit and scuffed the ground with her shoe. "But, I put a lot of strength behind it."

"I asked you not to hold back on me." Kuma pointed out.

"As interesting as this is," Natsuki interrupted. "we really need to get Yohko to look at you both."

.

"Are we sure there isn't something wrong with me?" Kuma asked suddenly as Yohko finished cleaning the last of the blood off her wounds and covered it with a bandage. "Maybe there's something defective about me and that's why I can't Materialize a Robe or a Child?"

"There is nothing wrong with you Kuma, I've already explained that." Yohko replied patiently.

"But I was made in a lab." Kuma pointed out stubbornly. "What if they made me as a fluke and there's something that I'm missing because I was made incomplete?"

"We are absolutely positive that there is nothing wrong with you, Kuma."

Kuma snarled. "Then explain to me why the hell I can't even do something so simple as turn my Element off!"

Yohko didn't bother getting upset at Kuma's behavior, she understood the frustration that the young girl was feeling after all. "Your powers are unique and not only that, you are the only one of your kind alive and because of that we have no viable data to compare you with." Yohko spoke slowly and patiently to try and get her words across. "As for your inability to 'turn off' your Element well Mikoto here has never been able to turn hers off either."

Mikoto glanced up from watching Mai bandage a tiny cut on her arm.

"Mikoto's powers are different from mine." Kuma shook her head hard. "I _need_ to know what the hell is wrong with me so I can fix it. I don't want to be on the sidelines sitting with my thumb in my ass while everyone else is out fighting in some big important battle. I need to be useful damnit!"

"Why is it so important for you to fight?" Chie asked. "You're not a slave anymore, you don't have to bow down to a Rogue Contract. So why do you have to keep fighting?"

"No matter what I am now or what I will be when I'm older I will ALWAYS be a Rogue, and a Rogues worth is measured by there ability to fight, to be useful, by how much they are needed by others."

"And what if there isn't something wrong? What if you are exactly how you were designed to be? What if there's nothing to be fixed?"

"Then I sure as shit better learn how to use my so called powers." Kuma growled. "'Cause there's not a chance in hell that I'm gonna stay behind while there's a fight to be fought."

"And what if we tell you you can't fight?" Natsuki husked.

"Then I'll still go out there chained and shackled 'cause I am not going to be left out of a fight."

"Kuma." Yohko waited for dual colored eyes to focus on her. "Listen to me, there is _**nothing**_ wrong with you. Your powers are simply unique on a level that we are still having trouble understanding. All our testing, all these exercises, are all for the sake of finding out what we need to know about your powers so we can help you learn to use them."

"Is there anyway to speed this up then? I'd like to know this stuff before I'm thirty." Kuma grumped dully.

"Hiko." Shizuru chastised softly.

"...Sorry Doc."

"No apology necessary." Yohko replied almost cheerily, it really was kind of funny how well they fit into their family roles. Shizuru was there ever graceful and elegant mother while Natsuki was the semi-stern and cool natured, if somewhat awkward, 'father'. So to speak.

Shizuru smiled slightly as Kuma grumbled incoherently.

.

"How did it go?" Erstin asked Kuma as she and Nina walked up to where the Rogue was sitting on a garden bench. The two Otomes had started to take on an almost sisterly role for the young girl.

"Luckily Mikoto has a better sense of aim then you might expect with such an awkwardly over sized weapon." Kuma said while scratching at the bandages. "She only opened old scars rather than adding new ones."

"She did it on pursue?" Nina found that odd.

"I asked her to." Kuma admitted as Erstin sat down beside her examined the bandages on her arm. "Natsuki-_Chichi_ and Shizuru-_Haha_ aren't none too keen on my earning any new scars after all."

"So you asked her to aim for the old ones instead." The way Nina said this made it obvious she didn't quite grip the so called 'wisdom' in that.

"She opened the one on your nose." Erstin said sympathetically.

"That was actually an accidental fluke. Shizuru-_Haha_ thinks the bandage makes me look cute." Kuma scrunched up her nose at that. She wasn't cute, she was a bear warrior for nature's sake and damn proud of it too!

"What about Yohko and Chie, have they found anything?" Erstin asked.

"Not yet they're still combing through the data they got." Kuma sighed. "And I STILL haven't been able to Materialize yet."

"Have you considered the possibility that you might actually require a Key unlike average modern HiMEs or a formal Contract with a master like an Otome?" Yukino asked as she came up to them.

Kuma looked up at the quiet HiME. Over the past month or so that Yukino had been in Garderobe the two them had become somewhat familiar with each other. Yukino was intelligent and gentle but also protective of those she cared about and she never judged without knowing all the facts first. She had also never said a single cruel or bad thing about anyone. Kuma tilted her head to the side curiously. "What's a Key? I thought a HiME only needed a most important person in order to use their powers."

"All modern HiMEs only have a need for a most important person." Yukino explained carefully. "But the ancient HiMEs required a Key in order to summon their Child. A Key is like a most important person but they need to touch a HiME's Element in order for the Child to be summoned and then they must stay within a certain distance of the HiME and Key otherwise the Child would disappear. The greater the bond was between HiME and Key the greater the distance between them could be."

A thoughtful look came over Kuma's face. "How do you tell if someone is your most important person or Key?"

"Try summoning your Child while thinking about someone, if they're your most important person then you Child should Materialize. Or if they touch your Element and can call your Child then they are your Key."

Kuma frowned at that and shook her head. "What kind of person can be your Key or most important person?"

"Well, that depends." Yukino look at Nina before glancing at the empty spot on the bench on Kuma's other side. But, the amber-eyed Otome merely shook her head and stepped back allowing Yukino to sit down next to the Rogue. "A Key or a most important person can be basically anyone but who they are depends on the HiME herself. They could be a family member or a friend. They could be someone you love even if you aren't lovers. They could even be another HiME. Two of the ancient HiME's had each other as their most important person."

"What about an Otome?" Kuma was curious.

Yukino smiled. "You mean Natsuki-_San_ and Shizuru-_San_." It wasn't a question.

"Pops hasn't really said anything about it but the way she acts around _Haha_ makes it pretty damn obvious." Kuma admitted.

Yukino's smile widened. "Yes, even an Otome can be your most important person."

Kuma frowned deeper. "What if they're someone you've never met before?"

"Pardon?" Yukino hadn't seen that coming.

But Kuma just shook her head. "Nothing, just talking nonsense." She stood up and stretched a bit before heading off. "I'll see you girls later. I need to go meet up with Pops to do another one of the Doc's exercises."

.

Natsuki sighed tiredly as she leaned back against the tree. She and Kuma had just finished with Yohko's latest exercise. According to the good doctor's theory, if Kuma became familiar enough with what a Child essentially was then she should eventually be able to summon her own Child. So far no matter how many times she had seen and been around Duran Kuma still hadn't gotten any closer to summoning her own Child. And every failure only added to the little Rogue's mounting frustration.

Natsuki let her thoughts drift as she relaxed. She thought about Shizuru and Kuma and the delicate balance they were still trying to find as a family. Shizuru seemed to fit quite naturally and comfortably into her role as mother and even Natsuki was getting used to being in the 'father' role, even if she hadn't chosen to take on that particular role in the first place. In the beginning, before they had come to realize that Kuma was actually their daughter, she had only intended to be a kind of older sister for the ill-tempered little girl but she didn't really mind taking on the father's role now.

If she was honest with herself then she had to admit that she really did fit the fatherly shoes. She remembered how her own father had trained in combat and helped to practice with her marksmanship. How he would spend hours with her outside playing wargames with her that simulated combat situations which helped to make her a better fighter in the battle against Orphans. Or how he simply taught her how to survive in the wild in case she ever found herself in serious trouble. Her mind eventually took her back to the first time she had ever Materialized her element and battled an Orphan.

It was the beginning of winter and Shizuru and her parents had come to pay a visit to the Kruga family. Natsuki had been fourteen while Shizuru still had only been thirteen at the time. Somehow Natsuki had managed to talk the ever elegant and proper Shizuru into going outside to play around in the snow for a while. Somehow they had wound up getting into a snowball fight which ended with the both of them freezing and sopping wet but laughing almost madly none the less. It was a rare sight to see but there had been nothing more that Natsuki had loved then to see Shizuru smiling and laughing freely and openly, honestly acting like the child she really was.

Natsuki smiled at the thought, honestly she still loved few things more than to see Shizuru's true smile, to hear her honestly laughing, but now she was getting ahead of herself.

Unwilling to go back inside they had decided to take a walk through the woods and eventually wound up in one of Natsuki's favorite caves. At night when the moonlight came in and hit the ice just right it made the entire cave sparkle and shimmer as brightly as the stars in the sky. Even during the day it was still incredible the way the cave looked with ice crystals all over the walls and ice sickles hanging from the ceiling. They were just starting to head back home as evening fell and the temperature dropped unbearably when an Orphan had burst through the trees and started attacking Shizuru. At that time Shizuru had still only been a Coral, an Otome in training and without the ability to Materialize her Robe she had been totally defenseless against the huge monster. For one short agonizing eternity Natsuki had been frozen on the spot as she watched the horse-legged, multi-armed monstrosity knock red-eyed beauty back into a tree, stunning her instantly.

It had been Shizuru's pain filled cry which had snapped her back to reality. Acting on instinct and driven by rage Natsuki had turned on the monster as ice coursed through her veins and power filled her soul to the brink. In that instant she had Materialized her twin ice pistols for the very first time and summoned Duran to her aid. It hadn't taken too much to defeat the Orphan despite her inexperience in real battle and before she knew it she was climbing off of Duran's back with Shizuru in her arms while their families looked on in shock before worry finally hit as they realized what had happened. After that Natsuki had officially began her training to become Fuka's latest HiME.

Thinking about her family Natsuki wondered how her family would react to Kuma when she finally manages to bring her daughter to officially meet the rest of the Kruga family. She wondered how Shizuru's family would receive Kuma as well when they finally met. She and Shizuru had already alerted their families about Kuma's existence and at first none of them had been able to believe any of it. It was all pretty impossible after all. But lately both families had been expressing a desire to meet the girl. Natsuki had no idea how she was supposed to pull any of it off but there was no way she would ever give Kuma up for anything. Not now that she finally had a chance at a family of her own.

Even if she had never truly planned for one before she couldn't imagine giving up the ability to truly raise Kuma, to see Shizuru happy. Shizuru, who as an Otome would never have needed to choose whether she would continue to serve her queen, her country, or give up her maidenhood into order to have a family of her own. Because for Shizuru, there was no choice, not with the way she felt about Natsuki. And even if Natsuki really did return all of Shizuru's feelings they never would have been able to have a child. But now, despite everything else, now they had Kuma who was a part of both of them and they each had a chance to be a part of her life, and each others.

Natsuki sighed and rubbed her forehead, her thoughts were getting complicated all over again.

A low voice chose that moment to drift down from the tree she was leaning against. "Hey, Chichi?"

Natsuki glanced up into the tree to see her daughter still sitting on the branch she had climbed up to leaning back against the tree trunk. She didn't bother complaining about her new title. "Yeah Hiko?"

Hiko, Kuma's name so far had not been changed yet but Hiko was what everyone called her if they didn't call her Kuma. It hadn't been Shizuru or Natsuki who had decided to change it. It had actually been Kuma herself instead.

Kuma's reasoning had been simple. "What the hell's the point in keeping the same exact name that bastard gave me when all he saw me as was a tool?"

"He saved your life." Haruka had pointed out. The loud mouthed Otome was still a bit skeptical about Kuma but had so far accepted her.

Kuma snorted with disbelief. "He was protecting his tool, nothing more."

So far they hadn't really been able to come up with an appropriate new name for young Rogue. Instead they had ended up settling on Hiko for now, as for who's surname she would officially have they hadn't been able to agree on that yet.

Natsuki was pulled out of her musing by her daughter's voice once more.

"Have you ever had dreams about a person you've never met before, but for some reason the person in your dream means more to you than anything else ever has? You have no idea where they are, or why you keep dreaming of them but for some reason you like that person so much that it actually hurts every time you wake and realize that they're not there with you?"

Natsuki looked up and study her daughters slumped form for several long seconds. What on earth was she talking about? "I don't really know much about that." Natsuki settled back against the tree and tried to think. Hearing movement above her Natsuki glanced up again and saw that her daughter had rolled over to lay on her stomach and was now watching her curiously. Natsuki looked back down and stared at nothing as she thought a bit more. "I've never had dreams like that before, but, I do know that some times dreams don't mean anything. They're just some crazy meaningless mess that your mind makes up."

A disappointed look came over odd-eyed girls face. "Oh..."

"But, sometimes..." Kuma's ears perked as Natsuki's voice started up again. "Sometimes even a simple dream can be important for some reason. Sometimes they can tell you things that you need to know." Natsuki shook her, she wasn't any good at this. "Let's go find Shizuru, maybe she can tell you what you want to hear. I'm not very good at this kind of next level almost philosophical stuff."

"Kay." Kuma easily climbed back down and the two of them started back towards the palace.

.

Shizuru studied her daughter carefully as she and Natsuki sat across from her. Her young Rogue stubbornly refused to sit on her knees in the traditional _seiza_ style and instead sat crossed-leggedly in the _agura_ pose. Natsuki had already told her about Kuma's question and explained why she wasn't qualified to answer their daughter on her own.

"So Hiko's been dreaming about someone lately?" Shizuru began.

Kuma fidgeted with her pants for a bit before answering. "Well, yeah."

She had to smile at the preteens awkwardness in this situation. "And how long have you been having these dreams?"

Kuma didn't even hesitate to think. "For about as long as I can remember."

Shizuru remembered something that the young Rogue had told them once before. "But you've said that some of your early memories are fuzzy."

"My memories may be fuzzy but I know for a fact that I've always had these dreams."

Shizuru was a bit surprised by that. "What are these dreams like then?"

"There just, ugh..." Kuma rubbed her forehead in frustration. "There kinda hard to explain."

"Try Hiko," Shizuru encouraged. "they may be important somehow."

"There almost always the same." Kuma turned her head to stare at the wall but it was obvious that she wasn't really seeing the wall itself, she was looking at something they couldn't see. "There's this person, a girl–"

"What girl?" Shizuru interrupted. "Who is she?"

"I don't know who she is." Kuma replied. "I've never met her before in my life. Hell, I've never even heard of anyone like her before."

"I'm shocked Hiko-Kun." Shizuru smiled teasingly. "I thought you liked Sara-_Chan_?"

Kuma instantly blushed a light rose shade. "I DO like Sara-_San_, well kinda, just I don't think I like her the way I like the girl in my dreams."

Shizuru smiled but set her mirth aside for now. "S what is she like, this mystery girl of yours?"

Kuma's face instantly flushed bright red. "She's not mine!" An almost painfully confused look suddenly fell over her face as the blush faded slowly. "At least, I don't think she is." Kuma sighed as she held her head in her hands. "I don't know what she is to she just– She's just–"

"Just what Hiko?" Shizuru prompted her daughter gently. "She's just what?"

"She's perfect." Kuma whispered painfully.

"Hiko?" This was not what she had expected to hear from her normally grumpy and ill-tempered daughter. Shizuru glanced to the side at her unorthodox 'husband' Natsuki, and judging by the look on the dark HiME's face, she wasn't the only one who found Kuma's behavior strange.

Kuma shook her head slowly. "I don't know what else to say Kaasan." Kuma lay down and curled up on her side and closed her eyes.

Alarmed the both of them moved to sit closer to their daughter thinking that the child might actually be in pain somehow. Kuma barely even acknowledged their presence and concern.

"Hiko?" Natsuki husked as she touched the girls arm carefully.

A heavy emotion filled sigh escaped Kuma as she opened her eyes sorrowfully. "My life wasn't always that great, in fact it never really was."

Shizuru reached out and gently ran a hand through her daughters pale hair, it had grown longer over the past two months. It was still as velvety soft as ever, only now it was a mess of semi-short hair that stuck up wildly in all directions making her look slightly more like a small bear.

"Ch– Ryubumon, he raised me to be his child, his son, he told me to think of everyone around him as my family. He even had a woman play mother to me, whore that she was. But, no matter what he said or did, they were never my family, not really. They acted like, they played their parts, but they never really cared for me. Not even my so called mother. Heh." Kuma gave a wry smile. "In fact she hated me more than anyone else back then."

"Hiko." Shizuru felt sympathy for her daughter and anger for the people who had played with the child's emotions.

"I'm not sure when I first started dreaming of her, but no matter what she's always been the same age as I am."

"What do you mean?" Natsuki asked.

"If I was three, then she was three. If I was seven, then so was she." Kuma explained vaguely.

"So she ages with you, even in your dreams?" Shizuru just wanted to make sure she understood.

"Yeah, basically."

"Okay then. What are your dreams like?"

"When I had a bad day," Kuma began. "when I felt like I couldn't stand my life, or if I just wanted someone to actually give a damn about me. To care about whether I was still hurting from the extreme training they put me through, she came to me, in my dreams." Kuma shifted slightly in discomfort.

Seeing this Shizuru rearranged herself and patted her lap. Hesitating a moment Kuma lay her head on her red-eyed mother's lap. She was silent a minute more before going on. "She might not be really, hell, maybe I made her up to try and keep myself from going out of my mind or committing suicide. But she was the only person in my life to ever really care about me, to ever listen to everything I had to say, even if all I did was complain or babble mindlessly. She was the first person ever to show me what real kindness was, what it was like for someone to be gentle to me."

Silence stretch as they let their daughter's words sink in while Kuma thought quietly. It was rare to see the girl so quiet, so subdued. For once Kuma really did look like the vulnerable child she really was but constantly hid herself behind her tough and uncaring attitude.

Kuma started again. "I– People rarely ever touched for any reason. I don't know if it was because they all just hated me that much or if they saw me as such an inhuman animal that they couldn't stand to even so much as pat me on the head. If and when anyone did bother to touch it was usually to hit me for doing something wrong or because they so drunk off their assess they could barely find their own damn feet, let alone remember why their was a three year old running around under their feet trying to find something worth eating."

Natsuki's anger flared at that but she kept herself from saying anything. For now at least.

"At first I didn't know what to think of her. I had no idea who she was or where she had come from and for some reason she cared so much for me. Too much even. She was so completely gentle but it was because she was so utterly gentle with that she scared me more than anything in the beginning."

"But that eventually changed." Shizuru guessed when the odd-eyed Rogue fell silent for too long.

"Yeah, it did." Kuma took a deep shaky breath. "I'm not sure exactly when it changed but it did. At some point she became the only thing that was holding me together." Kuma chuckled bitterly. "She's just a figment of my imagination and yet she became the most important thing in my life. I practically lived for the tiny insignificant chance that I would dream of her later when I finally slept. If I didn't have nightmares that is."

"Nightmares?" Shizuru asked. Kuma hadn't complained about nightmares before.

"I always have nightmares but there are two in particular that I can't stand having."

"Ryubumon's murder?" Natsuki guessed.

"And the Slaughterhouse massacre." Kuma confirmed.

"Well," Shizuru began, unwilling to let her dwell on her past. "whoever this girl is, she obviously isn't insignificant. She means a great deal to you."

"She's just some girl in my dreams." Kuma insisted.

"Even if she is only a dream she still means enough to you to give you a reason to go on living. People will always find unique reasons to live." Shizuru insisted. "I can't possibly imagine living the way you have."

Kuma didn't say anything as she let her mother's words sink in.

Natsuki let the silence stretch on for a bit before speaking. "You still haven't told us what your dream girl looks like."

Kuma thought about it for a bit. "She doesn't look like anyone I've ever seen before. She's– She's gotta be the prettiest thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Ara," Shizuru smiled. "what about Sara-_Chan_?"

Kuma blushed slightly at that. "Sara-_San_ is real a pretty girl, don't get me wrong. But, this girl is like, a hundred times prettier than Sara even."

"Pretty how?" Natsuki asked.

"She's got these incredible pale grey eyes–" Kuma frowned. "No, that's not quite right. There more like a pinkish kind of pale grey."

That caught Natsuki's attention. _' Pink__?__ What__?'_

Kuma went on. " They're so kind and caring and so utterly gentle that it's almost painful to look her in the eye. And she has this beautiful is long white hair."

_'__White?'_ Shizuru and Natsuki shared a glance. "You mean white like Nagi's hair?" Natsuki asked.

Kuma frowned. "Not like Nagi's. Not really. Her hair isn't totally white so much as it's more of an extremely pale shade of lavender. Paler even than Mashiro-_Sama_'s hair."

"Anything else?" Natsuki asked.

"She's pale and she's about my height I think if not slightly short by maybe an inch or two."

"Does she look like anyone we know?" Shizuru asked just to be sure.

Kuma frowned deeper in thought. "Not that I know of. She doesn't even really smell like anyone I know."

Shizuru stared at her daughter questioningly. "Smell?" She knew her Rogue daughter's sense of smell was strong, but could it really be _that_ strong?

"She smells like lilacs."

"You've also said that I smell like lilacs to you." Shizuru pointed out.

"You do." Kuma replied. "It's just that your lilac smell is kind of darker, almost musky like warm summer but tempered slightly by the cool rainstorm smell. Her lilac is kind of...heady almost."

Natsuki raised a fine dark brow at that. "_Heady_?" She had no idea what to think of that.

"I don't know how else to describe it except that it's heady, just not in a bad way. It's kind of like what you would smell if you were sitting in an entire _field of nothing but lilac bushes_ and _every single last one of them _were in full bloom. You start to feel almost light headed after a while."

"I see." Natsuki definately had no idea what to think of that.

.

Natsuki and Shizuru were sitting in a meeting with Yohko and Chie who had finished reviewing the data from all the sparring earlier that day. As far as they could tell from what they knew and what they had seen, Kuma SHOULD be able to utilize her powers. The problem was, they had no idea WHY she couldn't seem to activate them at all.

"It's almost as if there's something blocking her from accessing her powers." Yohko had said. "As if someone's managed to bind them somehow. That's why we can't seem to get a read on them."

Yukino who had been in on the meeting with them along with all the others had spoken up, repeating what she had mentioned to Kuma earlier. "Is it at all possible that she might actually be in need a Key like an ancient HiME or that powers simply requires a formal Contract with a Master? She is after all a hybrid HiME with Otome powers."

"It is a possibility." Yohko agreed.

"There's just one problem." Chie pointed out.

"What?" Erstin asked.

"A HiME can not simply choose a Key at random, after all a HiME is still a human and humans are emotionally fickle creatures by nature." Yohko explained.

"Also we have no idea where the pair to her JEWEL is or if there even is a pair. As far as we know Kuma may have both halves of the pair in her blood already." Chie began. "And even if there is a pair to Kuma's JEWEL it's safe to guess that it's in the same liquidized form as Kuma's and I doubt we could find anyone whose body can withstand the presence of the raw JEWELs power in their body. Never mind finding someone willing and trustworthy enough to become her formal Master."

"So there's nothing we can do then?" Nina asked.

"We never said that." Yohko replied.

"If we could just figure out which GEM was used to create Kuma's JEWEL-BLOOD then maybe we could find a way to unlock her powers." Chie said thoughtfully.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Haruka looked skeptical.

"I've taken a sample of Kuma's blood and managed to separate the JEWEL particles from it. Hopefully with time and patients I'll be able to analyze it and find out which GEM it originally was to begin with." Yohko explained.

"Well I hope you guys figure it out fast Yohko." Natsuki remarked.

"Why's that?" Chie asked curiously.

"Because I just got a letter from my parents earlier They want me to come back home to Fuka soon.." Natsuki explained. "And they've demanded that I bring both Shizuru and Hiko back with me. They want to meet their new granddaughter this winter." She looked at Shizuru next to her. "They've also invited your parents to come visit as well. They thought it would be a good idea for both our families to meet her."

"Ara." Shizuru murmured in surprise. She hadn't expected this yet.

"Yare, yare." Mai tapped her forehead as she imagined how well _that_ would go down.

* * *

**AN**

_Haha_ -Another Japanese word for one's own mother. I think?

_Oyaji_ - An informal Japanese which is the English equivalent of calling your father something along the lines of "Dad" "Pops" or "Old Man". It's considered rough and not too polite and it's usually only used by men and boys, but Kuma doesn't really do the whole gender barrier thing.

_Chichi _- Another Japanese word for one's own father I believe.

_Seiza_ - Literally means "Proper Sitting" in Japanese, it is the traditional way of sitting in Japan during formal events such as an_ Omiai_, a kind of marriage meeting, or for traditional arts like calligraphy or flower arranging.

_Agura_ - Literally means "Foreign/barbarian sitting" in Japanese, often referred to as sitting cross-legged or Indian style.

_Yare, yare_ - Means something along the lines of "Oh bother", "Oh boy", "Aw man", or even "Well, well".

If anyone thinks this fic is complicated or a bit wacked out now, trust me, it's only going to get worse.

...Though not in a bad way hopefully.

Review please. ^^ I always enjoy hearing whatever you guys have to say.


	14. Chapter 14

Major thanks to those who reviewed!

Bit of angst in this chapter for poor Kuma. Hopefully it makes me feel less like my character is some kind of Mary Sue by making her more vulnerable.

* * *

Chapter 14

"I'm not so sure about this, Tousan." Kuma murmured while she stared out the windows at the passing scenery as the car made it's way to the Kruga family estate.

Natsuki glanced at her daughter across from her and Shizuru before staring out the window herself. "We don't really have to much of a choice Hiko. It's not just my family, Shizuru's parents will be there as well. We knew they would want to meet you eventually."

"I'd feel less like an alien if we could have brought the others with us." Kuma muttered as she sunk back into her seat. By others she meant Nina and Erstin who had come with them and been left back at Fuka palace with the rest of the HiME Sentai.

"They need to spend their here in Fuka time at the palace." Shizuru told her patiently.

"Do I really have to meet them all now?" Kuma demanded grumpily. "Couldn't we wait, I don't, another month or something?"

"Is Hiko nervous?" Shizuru made her words sound like a question even though it was obvious how her daughter felt.

"You know damn well how I feel, Haha." Kuma came close to growling but held off.

"Language." Shizuru admonished gently but firmly.

Natsuki reached into her jacket pocket to grab one of the odd bags that Moriko had given her. If Kuma was going to be crankier than usual then she needed to calm the girl's nerves. Natsuki made a face at the bag in her hands before tossing it to her daughter. "Here."

Kuma caught it easily and inspected the bag curiously before looking up at her dark-haired parent. "What's this?"

"Moriko gave that to me a while back." Natsuki explained. "She said to give it to you if you started acting crankier than usual. Which you are."

Kuma frowned but opened the bag as she grumbled. "I'm not cranky."

"You're snapping." Natsuki pointed out. "And you're not exactly in the best mood right now."

"Yeah well–" Kuma stopped as she apparently caught sight of what was in the bag.

It may have only been a little over two months since they had become an official family but Shizuru and Natsuki had still had the chance to see their daughter in several states of emotion. But never before had they ever seen her eyes glitter excitedly the way they were now.

Kuma gave a small whoop of excitement and snatched up one of odd sticks from the bag which she promptly shoved in her mouthed and started chomping on it happily.

Natsuki shared and curious glance with Shizuru before looking back at their daughter and focusing on the strange stick she was currently gnawing on. It was small, about the size of a finger, and almost completely red though there seemed to be some orange and yellow colors mixed in as well.

Kuma bit a part off of hers and started chewing it loudly while humming contentedly.

The more Natsuki stared at the oddly shapped stick the more it started to look like a–

"Ara." Shizuru murmured. "What are those Hiko?"

Kuma swallowed before she spoke. "Spiced chicken bones." She started gnawing on the rest of the one she was eating.

"What?!" Natsuki nearly shouted.

Shizuru gave Natsuki an odd look. "Natsuki gave our daughter a bag of chicken bones? To eat?"

"What?! No!" Natsuki tried to wave off Shizuru's potential anger. "I didn't even know what they were!"

"Then Natsuki just gave our daughter a bag of potentially dangerous things without even bothering to check what was inside? How careless."

"What? Shizuru, no!" Natsuki insisted. "Moriko promised me that they weren't dangerous. She said that they would be good for her."

"Chill out you two." Kuma mumbled before swallowing the last half of her bone. "In case you guys forgot, I am a Rogue. I can almost literally eat anything. Except rocks."

"Chicken bones are a choking hazard Hiko." Shizuru looked at her daughter pointedly.

Kuma pulled out a second bone and snapped it in two without even trying. "Not with the way they are now."

Shizuru held out her hand and was immediately passed one half of the bone for her to inspect while Natsuki got the other half to study.

"What is it covered in?" Natsuki asked as she sniffed it curiously.

"In the Free Nations good food is a luxury that only the wealthy can afford. And very few people are ever wealthy in the Free Nations." Kuma began. "For the rest of the country everyone else learns not to be picky when it comes to what they eat. And when your choices come down to being between eating some unidentifiable gunk you find in the nearest trash can or taking a bunch of whatever you can find that's edible, throwing it into a large metal bin over a fire to cook, and then eat it."

"You've had to choose between eating garbage and–?" Natsuki felt her stomach churn at the mere thought.

"Actually I've had to eat out of the garbage before." Kuma replied mater of factly. "So long as you can ignore the taste and smell it's not that bad."

"Garbage!"

"I was starving Tousan." Kuma mumbled. "I didn't have much of a choice at the time."

"The bones?" Shizuru asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Right well," Kuma pulled out a new one to look at. "to be honest so long as your teeth are strong enough to chew them people actually can eat chicken bones. The only difference between these bones and normal bones are the way these one are prepared. The bones are cleaned then boiled in a kind of stock before they're cooked in an herbal/spice sauce and later baked and dried out. The sauce I made specifically to preserve them for the longest time possible. Depending on how they're kept and where they can last neatly half a year. I'm not sure what it is about them but these things can sometimes affect a Rogue the same way catnip affects a cat."

"Rogue-nip?" Shizuru found the thought amusing as morbid as it may be to know that her daughter actually liked eating chicken bones.

"Kind of." Kuma smirked. "Only we don't always go totally loopy when we eat them."

"We? You often refer to yourself and other Rogues collectively." Natsuki noted.

"We Rogues may not be to fond of each other but we still consider ourselves to be brothers of a sort."

"I believe Hiko means brothers and sisters." Shizuru teased.

"Actually Gypsy are the sisters while Rogues think of each other like a brotherhood of sort. Wylders are our respected cousins. Our ancestors though, well, they're a different story."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "Your ancestors?"

"Each Wylder tribe, whether they're Highland Wylders or Lowland Wylders, are believed to be descended from an animal who somehow earned the right to their own state of humanity." Kuma explained patiently. As she tied the bag back up and stuffed it in a pocket.

"And you are...?" Natsuki pushed.

Kuma gave Natsuki a funny look. "A bear of course."

"And how does Kuma know that?" Shizuru questioned.

"Each Rogue is said to have a special affinity for certain animals. Mine is for bears."

That peeked Natsuki's interest. "How do you know that?"

"I just do." Kuma shrugged.

.

It wasn't long before the little Rogue found herself alone in one of the rooms of the Kruga family's home. Both of her parents are in another room talking to their own parents in order to get some things straightened out before they officially meet their long lost granddaughter.

Growing bored with simply sitting around waiting Kuma eventually left to explore on her own. Wandering around Kuma mostly followed her nose, trying to familiarize herself with the new scents that were as much a part of her new grandparents home as the dark stone it was built from. The scent of something strangely metallic was as mixed in with the scents of the people who lived in the estate and Kuma had no luck figuring out what it had come from.

That is, until she ran into the woman it belonged to.

She had been minding her own business, quietly studying a portrait of Natsuki-_Chichi_ and three unfamiliar people who Kuma assumed were her still as yet unknown grandparents and aunt. Natsuki stood in the middle of the portrait, on her right stood a tall thick man with short golden-blonde hair and dark hazel eyes, and to her left was a woman who looked like an older version of Natsuki, a little girl with yellow-blonde hair and bright blue eyes stood in front of Natsuki.

She hadn't even had the chance to move before she heard an unfamiliar person with an oddly robotic voice suddenly declare: "JEWEL presence detected, initiating defense protocol now."

Oh shit.

.

Natsuki sat beside Shizuru, directly across from both of their families. Her little sister Alyssa sat between their parents Saeko and Natsuhiro Kruga. Shizuka and Yuzuru Fujiola sat on her mother's other side. Yuzuru had black hair and amber colored eyes, Shizuka had dark brown hair and blue eyes. Yet out of either of her parents Shizuru resembled her mother the most.

Natsuki was just finishing up her explanation, for the third time, of how Kuma had come to be when the preteen in question could be heard yelling in distressed.

"HAHA!!!" Followed by the sounds of rapid gunfire.

.

Kuma ran as fast as her legs could carry her, zig-zag as much as possible to try and avoid the volley of bullets flying past her. And as she ran, her memories played out.

_**The howling of the flames seemed to mock the cries of the wounded and dying as they tore through everything, setting the whole world alight with fire. Shadows flickered constantly as Ryubumon's militia ran in a frenzied panic and it became a mad dash to escape the death trap that their one time home had now become. Yet even as they ran they were mowed down the instant they set foot outside the compound. **_

_**A young Kuma, barely six years of age, had ran the instant the retreat had been sounded but small legs can only carry you so far before one is forced to take cover or drop from exhaustion. Hiding beneath a cluster of snow laden bushes Kuma shook with the force of her emotions as tears blurred her sight.**_

_**The ground shook beneath her feet as an enormous body came to a stop behind her. Trembling violently she desperately tried to quiet the mad beating of her heart but to know avail. The enemy had found her.**_

_**She scarcely had the chance to scream before her world exploded in pain for the second time in her short life.**_

Kuma's mind snapped back to the present as she was suddenly knocked into a corner. She looked up only to find a gatling gun aimed at her head. Recognizing her impending death, she did the one thing her mind could think to do. She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.

"_HAHA_!!!"

"Miyu-_San_," Shizuru murmured in a soft yet commanding voice. "I'll ask you to put your gun away before you hurt someone. You've frightened my daughter quite seriously."

At the sound of her mother's voice Kuma's snapped opened Shizuru standing protectively between her and the blue haired android.

The Meister Otome hadn't even Materialized her Robe and yet Shizuru couldn't have looked more incredible than the way she looked right now, ready to face off against the Kruga family's MAID unit in defense of her daughter.

"I am merely trying to do my duty Miss Fujiola." The android intoned matter of factly.

"How so?" Shizuru challenged quietly as Natsuki ran past her to check on Kuma. "By attacking an innocent child? MY child?"

"While my sensors do recognize that she is indeed the biological child of yourself and Natsuki-_Ojousama_, they also indicate that this child's body houses a JEWEL and there for is one of the forbidden _Gunjin_ created for destruction and war." Miyu continued. "What's more, her JEWEL is unstable and without knowledge as to the identity of her Contract Master there is no guarantee that she will not turn on everyone around her."

Natsuki was shocked to find Kuma near tears and shivering uncontrollably. The child looked as if she just seen every ghost of her past and had all of them howling for her demise. "Hiko." Natsuki called as she reached out to try and touch the little Rogue. Her daughter merely jerked at the touch. "Kuma." She tried again. Dual-colored eyes finally focused on the dark HiME, Kuma immediately dived into her arms and gripped on tightly as she tried to hold back her tears.

"I will ask you one more time Miyu." Shizuru's voice turned deadly. "Will you stand down?"

"N–" The android's words were suddenly cut off by the small voice of a child.

"Miyu." The android turned immediately to face the little blue-eyed blonde as her charge Alyssa Kruga came forward. "Stand down."

Miyu knelt obediently as her arm shifted back to normal. "Yes, Alyssa-_Ojousama_."

Alyssa Kruga turned her blue eyes to face Shizuru as she placed her small pale hand upon the still kneeling Miyu's shoulder. "I'm sorry about Miyu, she gets really over protective sometimes."

"While a sense of protectiveness is all well and good," Shizuru began as she turned and knelt down beside Natsuki and their shaking child. "it is NOT a good idea to threaten my daughter, no matter what she may be." Shizuru reached out and gently touched Kuma's back but shaken Rogue jerked as if in pain and went on shivering. "Kuma, look at me." She called.

Kuma's one green eye pecked at her cautiously.

"What happened?" Shizuru asked gently. "Why do you pull away?"

"Scars hurt." Came the shockingly small voice.

"Why?" Natsuki asked.

"Memories are back." Kuma said plainly. "The scars hurt because I can remember now."

"Remember what?" Shizuru pressed.

"How I killed them." Kuma buried her face in Natsuki's neck as she finally began to cry.

* * *

**AN**

Believe it or not there are some people who honestly do like eating chicken bones. They're just not usually cooked the way these are.

Just to get some things straight about the ages. Natsuki and Shizuru are both about twenty-nine. Both of their parents are about fifty. Alyssa is of course twelve and yes I realize that makes Kuma older than her but I have nieces and nephews of my own in real life who are older than I am by a year or more as well as a few who are only a few years younger, so it's not all that strange.

_Gunjin_ - From what I've found it can, and in this instant does, mean "Soldier".

I know this chapter is depressingly short, but please review? It pushes me to update faster.


	15. Chapter 15

I am so _SO_ sorry for making you all wait!! I had hoped to finish this chapter sooner but unfortunately my muse seemed to have gotten herself sidetracked half-way through the chapter so it took way longer than I had originally intended. Thanks again for the reviews! More angst here but it gets better.

Anyways, let's get on with the story.

Chapter 15

Natsuki leaned against a far wall watching her daughter as her parents and Shizuru's parents questioned the young Rogue almost relentlessly. They meant no harm, they were merely curious about their new granddaughter. Shizuru stood not to far from Natsuki as she too kept a close eye on their daughter.

It had only been one day since the young Rogue's unfortunate encounter with the MAID unit Miyu. Natsuki had already had a long talk with highly protective android since then while Shizuru took care of Kuma the best she could.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Natsuki had raged at the impassive Miyu. "You could have killed her!"

"I was merely following preventive defense protocols." Miyu had said plainly.

"And just what the hell was all that about her JEWEL and _Gunjins_?" Natsuki had demanded as if she hadn't heard the android speak.

"Many generations back certain scientists managed to create their own artificial HiMEs, PRINCESSES, and while they were conducting their experiments they also discovered a way to convert Meister GEMs into a liquidized form without detracting any of its power." Miyu had explained. "They attempted to inject the JEWEL into their PRINCESSES in an attempt to create the ultimate weapon which they called Gunjins. While the PRINCESSES did manage to survive the injections they were eventually driven mad without the presence of a proper Contract Master to help them balance out their newly heightened powers. Seeing this, the creation of Gunjin and the like was later made forbidden practice and MAIDs were built in their stead. It is within the programming of all MAIDs to recognize a JEWEL user, a Gunjin, as well as the appropriate ways to dispose of them in order to prevent them from going wild."

"Wait. Wait. WAIT!" Natsuki had held up a hand to stop the blue-haired android from talking. "Are you saying that without a proper Contract Kuma could go mad?!"

"Yes, but–" Miyu had been cut off as Natsuki continued to spit out questions wildly.

"So then how the hell could Schwartz have figured out how to make JEWELs? How did they manage to re-enact the experiments that created Gunjin?"

"Perhaps they managed to find some remnants of the lost archives from that time. However–"

"Then how the hell are we supposed to find her a Contract Master when we don't even know where the pair to her JEWEL is, let alone if anyone could possibly survive the injection?!"

"Actually, according to my sensors she already has a Contract." Miyu had intoned. "In her case, it is simply a matter of formally establishing and acknowledging her Master. Whoever they may be."

"...What?..." Natsuki's voice had been low as shock set in at that.

"As for how Schwartz has managed to re-enact the experiments and successfully create a Gunjin, they seem to have filled in the blanks and reduced most of the variables by redesigning the experiment by combining HiME and Otome DNA with that of a Wylder."

"You can see that much?" Natsuki had asked.

"My retinal scanner has the ability to break down and identify DNA to its most basic levels.."

"Then who–?" Natsuki had started.

"The identity of who her Master is is not something that my sensors can determine unless her Master is present before me." Miyu had cut her off.

Natsuki pulled her mind back from her thoughts as she watched her daughter shift uncomfortably in her seat a bit. It was obvious the little Rogue wasn't used to being questioned so thoroughly over minor details.

.

Saeko Kruga watched her husband, Natsuhiro, very closely knowing that he was deep in thought and trying to work out some kind of rudimentary opinion of their new granddaughter. She glanced over at Shizuka and Yuzuru Fujiola who also seemed to be deep in thought, but it was hard tell just by the looks on their faces, their were Shizuru's parents after all.

The reason for their contemplation was simple yet somehow still complex. They had asked Kuma some fairly simple questions which should have been harmless and easy to answer. As most children her age had already given such things some thought before.

"So Kuma-_Kun_," Saeko had been the one to start. "we'd like to ask you a few questions."

Kuma had shifted in her seat nervously. "'Kay."

Saeko had smiled; she found the child's nervousness adorable.

"Don't nervous child." Shizuka had murmured kindly. Her voice was much like her daughter's, proof as to where Shizuru had gotten her voice from. "They're only simple questions. No need to be shy."

Kuma had screwed up her face in the cutest little frown. "I'm not shy."

"Of course you aren't." Shizuka had humored the child teasingly.

Kuma didn't say anything in retaliation but continued frowning. She glanced at the two men who were her respective grandfathers. They seemed perfectly content to sit back quietly and let their wives handle everything. Natsuhiro looked stoic and unmoving as a rock, Yuzuru was serene and calm as a tree without a breeze.

"First off," Saeko had taken the lead once more. "what do you like?"

Kuma had blinked and tilted her head to the side cutely in confusion. "What do I like?"

Saeko had glanced over at Shizuka before explaining. "What I'm asking is what sort of things do you like?"

"Oh." Kuma had gone quiet and folded her arms thoughtfully. "I like to spar. Does that help?"

"Somewhat." Saeko had been confused. Was that really all the child liked?

Shizuka had taken over. "But is that all you like? You are still only a child. What other sort of things do you like to do? What do you like to eat?"

"What kind of animals do you like?" Saeko had added. "What colors do you like the most?"

"And what sort of things do you dislike?" Shizuka had felt the need to add.

Kuma had looked back and forth between the two women as they talked, trying to keep track of their rapid questions. "Um." Kuma had blinked then looked thoughtful. "No that's not all I like, but I've never really given any of that kind of stuff much thought."

"You've never given it much thought?" Saeko found this mind boggling. True, her youngest daughter Alyssa was something of a protégée but even she preferred to be childish most of the time. "But you're just a child, what else could you possibly think about?"

Kuma had given her cobalt-haired grandmother an odd look. "I'm a Rogue, for me there are more important things to think about."

Saeko held in a sigh. She'd had trouble fully believing even Shizuru's words when she and Natsuki had tried explaining what made Kuma different in particular, aside from the obvious that is.

"Even so," Shizuka had pushed patiently. "what _can_ you tell us about yourself?"

Kuma had scratched her head thoughtfully at that. "Um, well, I guess I like to sing."

"Sing?" Saeko had been slightly caught off guard before remembering what Natsuki had told her about the few times Kuma had sung. "So you like music then?"

"Yeah." Kuma had to brighten up a bit as she seemed to catch on to what it was they wanted to know. "I like snow too, but I don't really like to be cold."

'_Bit of a contradiction there but it's a start.'_ Saeko had thought with a smile. "What else?"

"Bears." Kuma had said then paused before nodding confidently. "I like bears."

Shizuka had hidden a smile behind her hand at that. "Ara, is that where you get your nickname from?"

Kuma had blushed at that making her look more like an adorable child for her small appearance. "No, my name WAS Takehiko Kumabushi, but I don't want to keep it anymore."

"What name do you want then?" Saeko had asked.

"I don't know." Kuma had shrugged. "Natsuki-_Chichi_ and Shizuru-_Haha_ still haven't been able to think of a name for me, they just call me Hiko and everyone else just calls me Kuma." Kuma had suddenly frowned. "Expect Ahn-_Anesan_."

"Ara, what does Anh-_San_ call you then?" Shizuka had asked.

Kuma had blushed darkly before muttering in a low voice. "Tedi-_Chin_."

Saeko actually had laughed at that, while Shizuka had covertly coughed into her hand to hide her mirth.

"It's not funny!" Kuma had protested insistently, even as the weight of her ire was diminished somewhat by the brightness of her blush. "I'm not a teddy bear! I'm supposed to be a warrior!"

"Gomen nasai, it's just too cute!" Saeko had said between giggles.

Kuma had puffed out her cheeks indignantly and grumbled under breath.

"What else, Kuma-_Kun_?" Shizuka had gotten them back on track.

"...I like rain storms." Kuma had finally muttered after pouting a few minutes more.

"Aren't you afraid of thunder?" Saeko had asked curiously. Alyssa wasn't exactly terrified of thunder, but she wasn't particularly found of it either.

"No, why should I be? It's just a sound." Kuma had frowned in confusion.

"What about lightning?" Saeko had pressed.

"No." Kuma had insisted.

Saeko had decided to leave that be for now. "What else do you like then?"

"Well I–" Kuma had stopped and looked thoughtful. "I guess I like being outside, in wild places or just somewhere away from most people. I like to train because I always feel like I've gotten just that much stronger, even if I'm only a little bit stronger." Kuma had stopped to think a little bit more. "I like the Gypsy festivals, I even like playing Wink with the others, though Akemi used to have to beg me to get me to play."

"Wink?" Shizuka had been curious.

"It's an Old World game and something of a favorite among Gypsy girls and women. You probably wouldn't know it." Kuma had explained simply. "I don't really care what I eat so long as it's edible and I can stomach it. I don't really have a favorite color; I never thought that kind of thing was ever very important."

Saeko had decided to change tactics after that. "So what don't you like then?"

Kuma had frowned. "I don't really like being treated like a child. I'm not totally defenseless; I grew up on the streets and mostly took care of myself on my own. I don't like being treated like a girl either, I don't DO what's normal and I don't give a good god dang about what's proper for a young lady. I'm a Rogue I don't HAVE to act like anything but me."

Saeko had raised an eyebrow as she was suddenly reminded of how rebellious and tomboyish Natsuki had been as a child.

"Is that all?" Shizuka had asked.

"No." Kuma's frown had deepened. "I don't like being held back or underestimated. I don't like girly things like dresses or being stuffed into a Kimono, I can't fight in that crap. I don't like spiders, and I definitely DO NOT like being trapped or chained up like an animal." Kuma had flexed her wrists and shoulders, it was an unconscious motion done as if she were remembering a time when they really had been bound by something.

Saeko reigned in a sign as she tired of waiting for her husband to speak first. "Well?" She asked with well disguised impatience.

Natsuhiro raised his hazel eyes to his wife's. "She certainly is an interesting child."

"That she is." Yuzuru agreed calmly. "But it seems as if it will be somewhat difficult to introduce her to proper society."

"Indeed it does." Natsuhiro nodded his agreement. "We'll have our work cut out for ourselves."

"I'm sure it's not a challenge that we can't handle." Shizuka added struck a thoughtful pose.

"It can't be too bad. After all, Natsuhiro and I somehow managed it with Natsuki." Saeko quipped.

.

Kuma sat silently on the back stone steps which led outside next an equally quiet Natsuki, both of them staring out at the vast expanse of land the estate possessed. First were the gardens which led to the woods, the woods would thicken the farther into them one went and eventually led to the low parts of the mountain.

Neither one of them bothered to say anything for a long time, they both had far too much on their mind after all. Natsuki was trying to figure out how to help Kuma deal with the demons of her past and find a way to erase the marks that obviously had been left upon her mind if not her very heart and soul. She couldn't even hope to begin to try and ease the pain of the scars upon her daughter's body. While Kuma was trying to deal with her returning memories as well as figure out why she had been unable to try and fight off the android. As one they heaved a sigh and the silence stretched on.

That's how Shizuru found the two of them when she came in search of them. "Ara," Shizuru murmured prompting the two seated females to look up at her. "here I had hoped that we could have tea together but if the two of you would prefer to sit here and pout at the scenery then I suppose I could have tea with my parents instead."

Natsuki and Kuma glanced at each other before wordlessly getting to their feet. Seeing that neither of them seemed to have any intention of saying anything Shizuru simply swallowed a sigh and turned to lead them back to the dinning room were the tea was already set out and waiting.

Natsuki was dimly pleased to see that Shizuru had deigned to use the new Samovar tea set that she had finally given her as a gift not long after the three of them had become something of a family. Unfortunately that happiness was somewhat diluted by her gloomy thoughts. The silence stretched on even as they set into the tea and with each passing second it grew more and more unbearable. Finally unable to allow the quiet depression to continue it's silent reign Shizuru decided to take action. She knew that it was risky in that it could very likely make things worse for them but there was also the chance that it could help them to find a way to move beyond it too.

"Hiko," Shizuru called gently, she waited fore her daughter's dual-colored eyes to focus on her before continuing. "you said that your memories were back?"

Kuma nodded quietly in answer.

Shizuru mentally prepared herself for the possible outcome of her question. "Could you perhaps tell us what it is that you remember?"

Kuma looked as if she were in physical pain upon hearing that question finally voiced.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki couldn't believe her ears. How could she possibly think that Kuma was anywhere near ready to talk about this?

Shizuru ignored Natsuki with some slight difficultly. How does one ever truly manage to ignore the one they love after all? "Please Hiko? We know so very little about your past as it is and this could help us to better understand you. Perhaps we could help you in some way once we know what is wrong?" She phrased the last part as a question in hopes of better persuading her daughter.

Kuma looked down at the table and stared at it in silence even as her eyes went out of focus.

As the silence stretched on Shizuru realized that her daughter simply was not ready to deal with her past right now. "Of course you are not obligated to tell us so if you would prefer we could simply set this aside for a time when you are more prepar–"

Kuma's uncharacteristically subdued voice cut her off mid-sentence. "I was six years old when the compound was attacked." The Rogue spoke slowly in a haunted voice that held little to no emotion. "I was in the middle of a lesson with one of the few elders who lived amongst us when the alarm sounded in the middle of the night. Nobody knew how they had gotten in or where they had come from but everyone knew one thing for sure, no one was going to survive if we stayed to fight." Kuma paused before continuing dully. "It seemed like the all the Nations turned against me after the Slaughterhouse massacre when I was five. People often tried to kill me or hurt me in some way and it got to the point where I wasn't allowed to even go outside without some kind of babysitter watching me. I knew how badly they hated me but I never would have thought that they would go as far as they did."

Natsuki and Shizuru sat in silence as they solemnly listened to their daughter and watched her relieve her memories in her own mind.

"A mob came and tried to assault the compound but they were just regular civilians, none of them knew how to properly carry out a real siege. It wasn't hard for the others to get rid of them and we thought that they were all gone. Everyone ignored me when I complained that I could smell something weird. They all just figured it was the same as usual for me. My senses were always on the fritz back then, one minute I could smell dang near everything inside and out of the compound. The next I could hardly smell the clothes on my back." Kuma shivered. "We heard the screams first before the alarms finally went off, all hell broke loose when we realized why. A few Witches had managed to sneak into the compound while they still wore they're human skin. They started to tear everything apart as soon as they managed to transform. One of them somehow managed to get into the armory and set off a bomb. The fact that there was enough ammunition to power a small army in there didn't help either; instead it just turned one measly bomb into a chain reaction that no one could hope to stop."

Shizuru felt her stomach churn as her mind flashed back to the image of a Witch that Chie had showed them.

"We didn't even bother to try and fight back, we already knew we were gonna die right then and there, it didn't stop us from running for our pointless lives though." Silence stretched on for a short eternity as Kuma paused once more. "Those of us who weren't fast enough to keep up or stay ahead wound up trampled by the rest. And those who failed to get back on their feet wound up dead when the Witches gave chase." Kuma chuckled and it set the hairs on the back of her parent's necks on end. It was not a laugh, it held no humor, no irony, only a sense of lifelessness that could not, SHOULD NEVER, come from any child. "It was such a pointless thing, running for our lives. The instant we so much as set foot outside the building we were torn apart by a rain of bullets from the tree line. I still don't know if the shots came from more Witches or from the few mobs members who managed to stay behind."

Natsuki clenched her fists at that. What the hell was _**wrong**_ with people these days? Were they so desperate for revenge, so blinded by hatred that they could tell the innocent from the guilty anymore?

"One bullet grazed my arm but I still managed to make it far enough into the trees to hope that I could hide until it was over." Kuma looked up and her eyes held no life within them. "My nose was so clogged by the smell of blood that I couldn't smell the Witch behind me. It wasn't until I felt the ground shake that I realized it was even there. It had shifted its arm into a kind of sickle-shaped blade, I don't know what happened in detail, and I passed out from the pain almost instantly." Kuma's hand reached to finger the long scar on chest unconsciously, mindlessly tracing it from where it began belong her collarbone to where it ended on her left hip. "I woke up when I felt the cold snow beneath me." She looked up at them once more. "It wasn't Ryubumon who saved my life, it was a white bear I'd met when I was four I'd helped him escape from a bear trap and he'd saved my life by risking his own against the Witch. He'd been small when I first met him, but he was so much bigger when he came back to save me. I think he must have jumped out and grabbed it by the arm, if he hadn't its blade would have sliced me in half."

A long pause stretched out once more. Natsuki and Shizuru were still clueless as to what they could say to their daughter.

"Aasaa, the bear, managed to carry me as far out as he could but collapsed from his own wounds and lay dying. Ryubumon, coward that he was in the face of that evil, had ran for his life and taken Red with him as soon as the Witches attacked. He found me with Aasaa and tried to grab me and run but another Witch came charging out the trees. Aasaa with his last strength killed the Witch, he died protecting me. Ryubumon got his arm chopped off by the Witch and gave me that bullshit line when he gave me Red. _""Wagahai yo, akai shi da. 'I am the Red Death.' He was mine once as he was my fathers before me and his fathers before him and so on and so forth, and now he is yours. Trust in him and respect him and he shall never fail you.""_ To be honest, I don't even know what Red's real name is. I know it isn't Akai Shi, it never was, but I don't know what else to call him aside from Red."

The silence stretched on for the longest this time as everything slowly sank in. A thought came to Natsuki and she'd barely managed to even consider her words before they escaped her mouth. "If that huge scar came from a Witch, then where did the smaller one come from?"

The sorrow within Kuma only deepened at the question and she swallowed the emotional lump in her throat before explaining. "I wasn't supposed to be involved in the Slaughterhouse battle; I was only supposed to find a way in. Get in, get out, stand back and let the others fight. Simple. But it wasn't like that at all." Kuma took a shaky breath before going on. "I got trapped inside and a pack of Fighters managed to trick me into a corner where I couldn't fight and one of them sliced me with a shard of glass. I was able to jump back fast enough to avoid serious injury but it still left a harsh reminder behind." Tears gathered in her eyes as her emotions seemed to finally crash back into her. "I blacked out after that and when I came to they were all dead." Her voice became choked at the end as she finally succumbed to her tears. "I'm the one that killed them all, I know I am! But I don't even know what the hell happened! I don't know what I did but I killed them!"

Shizuru instantly moved to hold her crying daughter as she sobbed, grieving for the lives of all who had died. She looked at Natsuki who looked as torn up as she felt. Hesitantly Natsuki moved so that she could hold Shizuru even as the ruby-eyed Meister Otome held their grieving daughter. Natsuki allowed her head to nuzzle against Shizuru's comfortingly. They were all in low spirits right now.

.

Kuma had eventually cried herself out and fell asleep, Natsuki carried the girl back to that Shizuru was staying in at the elegant Otome's suggestion. Shizuru felt that Kuma would feel more at ease around her scent or even Natsuki's then she would around the unfamiliar scents in her new room. The little Rogue ended up sleeping through the rest of the day and well into the next morning.

Guess who bunked with Natsuki while Kuma was sleeping in their room that night?

.

Shizuru stood quietly watching Alyssa play with Kuma, or try to at least. The two children had finally met each other at the breakfast table and were currently trying to find some common ground to stand on. But it wasn't easy.

On one hand there was Alyssa Kruga, Natsuki's twelve year old baby sister, forever childish and a genius protégée, she was open and friendly and seemed to adore attention. On the other had there was Kuma, the thirteen year old biologically engineered half-Wylder daughter of Shizuru and Natsuki, a scowling growly young Rogue who sometimes seemed more boy than girl, ill-tempered and not particularly found of people.

It was going to be difficult for the two of them to bond.

.

The next three days were spent awkwardly trying to bond together as a family but it proved to be harder than any of them had anticipated.

Saeko and Shizuka were both quick to realize that they really couldn't treat Kuma like a little girl at all, mostly because it made things awkward for all of them. Natsuhiro and Yuzuru also had they're own trouble, mainly the fact that they found it hard to really treat the girl more like a boy and didn't know too much about young girls as it was, despite having raised grown daughters already. Alyssa found it difficult to really connect with her new niece due to the stark difference in their personalities.

Natsuki and Shizuru couldn't decide who they sympathized with more, their respective family or their awkward daughter? It was a close call between them.

.

Finally after nearly a week of awkwardly bumbling around with her new family members Kuma decided she needed a serious break. And what better way to spend her time alone than exploring the grounds of the estate?

She was half-way down the steps when a soft voice stopped her.

"And where are you off to, Kuma-_Kun_?" Kuma glanced back to find the Kruga matron watching her curiously.

Kuma cast a glance back towards the garden before facing the older woman. "I was gonna go exploring, Saeko-_Baasan_."

Saeko raised an eyebrow slightly at that. "And what do Shizuru and Natsuki think about you wandering around on your own?"

Kuma blinked at the elder woman. "I can take care of myself just fine _Baasan_, and they both know how antsy I've been starting to feel, what with being cooped up in the house all this time and all."

Saeko gave the pre-teen a quick once over before nodding quietly. "Very well, but try not to wander too far."

Kuma nodded seriously before jogging away, down the steps and through the garden.

"And be careful!" Saeko called after her retreating granddaughter.

"I'll be okay!" Kuma hollered back before taking off in a run.

.

Natsuki paused in her reading and glanced out the window at the late afternoon sky with a frown. It had been a few hours since the young Rogue had disappeared and Kuma still had yet to come back from wherever it was that she had run off to. She tried not to let herself get too worried just yet, Kuma actually could handle herself fairly well, despite her initial reaction to Miyu's attack the first day. Not that she could really blame the child for her apparent fear of the weaponized android; even Natsuki would shiver in the face of a battle with the near emotionless MAID unit.

Shaking the thoughts off she tried to turn her attention back to the papers she was reading over, her parents wanted her to be more prepared for when she assumed her official title as the next head of the House of Kruga. She still didn't see a point to it since her parents both held that title together and would continue to hold it until they stepped down. Unfortunately her attention kept straying to her elegant companion. Natsuki tried to resist the urge to watch Shizuru but it was all but impossible to do so.

After the tenth time in five minutes that she had stolen a fleeting glance at the beautiful Otome Natsuki finally gave up any pretense of reading and just sat back to silently watch as Shizuru went over some papers of her own.

Despite the fact that Shizuru was doing nothing more than reading, something so mundane it could be down right _boring_ at times, she still managed to look beautiful doing it. A delicate flick of her hand brushed her hair aside. Shizuru elegantly shifted to the next page of her papers as her crimson red eyes, a red so rich they could put garnets and rubies both to utter shame, flicked over the last words on a page she had been reading. Every gesture was elegant, every move was graceful. Shizuru was a goddess in mortal form.

One move in particular downright _captivated_ Natsuki. Shizuru paused blinking slowly, then with a soft lick to her finger tips she carefully shifted through the pages she had already read until she found what she was looking for and glance through it. Another tender lick and she shifted back to the page she had previously been reading.

Natsuki swallowed harshly at the sight of that delicate pink tongue, her heart was beating so loudly it was a wonder that Shizuru didn't to hear it. She couldn't explain why she was suddenly so enamored with the graceful Otome. If she were honest with herself this wasn't the first time that she had become so enraptured by Shizuru. With a small start Natsuki realized that such incidents had been happening more frequently than ever before. Part of her had a good idea why, hell that part of her already knew why, had known for a long time. But Natsuki was nothing if not an obstinate beast and an obstinate beast she would always be, had been all her life. Even if part of her already knew with little to no doubt, she herself still found it difficult to fully acknowledge the truth. Even as absolute as that truth was.

Natsuki leaned back groaning silently pressing the heels of her hands against her closed eyes. Now really wasn't the best time to wonder about the possibility of her so-far-non-existent love life.

.

Several hours had now passed since Kuma disappeared and was starting fall now. Natsuki, driven by what she called her "protective parental nature", (Shizuru would later tease her by referring to it as her "_paternal_ instincts") ended up searching the entire household and the immediate grounds with Shizuru. But they were unsuccessful in the search for their wayward daughter. It came as no surprise when Saeko and Natsuhiro joined in the search along with Shizuka and Yuzuru. Even Miyu began to help, after Alyssa had asked her to of course. All together they did one more sweep of the house, the gardens, and the immediate grounds just to be sure. But just as before they came up with nothing.

Seeing no other option they split up into pairs in the hopes of finding Kuma sooner. But as the evening wore on and they still failed to find the little Rogue the pairs split up further as well to try and improve their chances even more.

.

Shizuka, Shizuru's mother, had been searching on her own for quite awhile now since her husband Yuzuru had split off to try and search for their rebellious grandchild elsewhere. It was fairly dark now though luckily there was a bright full moon out tonight.

A tiny flicker of light appeared at the edge of her sight but as soon as she turned to look at it, it had already disappeared. Another spark of light appeared farther away from where the first had been, yet just as before it went out almost as soon as it had come. Yet another appeared in a different spot, then another, and another. Each of them would suddenly appear in one place before disappearing and reappearing someplace different.

It didn't take much for her to realize that the small sparks of light were actually fireflies. She was somewhat surprised that fireflies were still around at this time, especially what with their being so far north. She watched them dance and flicker about for a time even as she continued on her way. Eventually she found herself at the edge of a clearing in which a small river natural ran through the Kruga estate. Or at least she was certain that she was near that particular river. She couldn't really tell for sure since the area was surrounded by hip-high tall grass making it hard to see the terrain.

Shizuka paused for a moment to get her bearings when a rustling sound caught her attention. Looking about she heard the sound again as a section in the grass began to tremble. She was just beginning to wonder what kinds of animals were awake at night when the creature in question made a move. In a spectacular blur of motion the mysterious creature had leapt from its hiding place in the grass in an attempt to pounce upon one of the many flickering fireflies. Unfortunately by the time they managed to land the pounce their prey had already fled. Shizuka paused once more and took a closer look at the 'creature'.

Was that—? Kuma?

Indeed upon closer inspection her 'mysterious creature' did in fact turn out to be the young Rogue they'd all been searching for. But what on earth was the child doing all the way out here? She couldn't possibly have spent the past few hours chasing fireflies could she?

Shizuka continued to watch as Kuma once again disappeared into the tall grass as she crouched low to the ground before once more trying pounce on one of the fireflies who had seemingly landed near her. And just as before the blonde Rogue managed to miss completely. Shizuka had to stifle a laugh as she realized that Kuma was pouting at her empty hands in an adorably childish way.

Movement caught her eye once more and she turned to find Miyu standing within the deeper shadows of the trees. Catching the MAID's dull-eye Shizuka nodded in a signal for her to call the others and let them know that Kuma had at last been found. The quiet android nodded back before doing just that.

Turning her attention back to her wild granddaughter Shizuka decided to make her presence known.

Kuma had just dropped down into a low crouch, swearing that this time she'd finally manage to catch at least one of the annoying little bugs when a soft voice gave her pause.

"Ara, whatever is Kuma doing?"

Standing to her full height Kuma turned in the direction of the voice to find her blue-eyed grandmother standing at the edge of the clearing. "Eh? Shizuka-_Sobo_?"

Shizuka had to hide her smile behind her hand as she laugh softly at the sight before her. With the way that Kuma was currently standing the child look like a small bear standing on its hind legs. Indeed, what with all the dirt smudged on girl's clothes, face, and hair she looked rather wild. Pushing aside her mirth she tried again. "What are you doing?"

"I've been trying to catch one of these damnable things but I can't seem grab 'em." Kuma explained while angrily indicating the numerous fireflies with a harsh sweep of her hand.

"Ara, the _hotaru_? You'll never catch one of them like that."

Kuma cocked her head frowning in confusion. "The…what?"

Shizuka elegantly waved a hand at the surrounding lightning bugs. "The fireflies, you'll never catch them by charging all over the place."

"Wait a second. These things are fireflies?"

Shizuka watched Kuma closely. "Of course, what did you think they were?"

"I don't know, I was trying to catch one so I could figure out what they are."

Now it was Shizuka's turn to tilt her head. After a short pause she finally voiced her thoughts. "Has Kuma-_Kun_ never seen a firefly before?"

"No." The word was spoken with complete honesty and without embarrassment.

"Do you even know what a firefly is?"

Kuma scratched the back of her head. "I think I've heard of them before, never actually seen one though."

"How strange." Shizuka murmured. "Why ever not?"

"The troupes I was sold into were always bouncing around so much that we never stayed in one place long enough for me to ever go looking for any."

"What about when you were younger?"

"I guess I was always too busy training or fighting to ever just stop and think about chasing fireflies, let alone actually doing it." Kuma shrugged almost passively.

"Ara…" Shizuka murmured as she thought about that. Kuma on the other hand caught sight of yet another firefly and immediately dropped down into a crouch before crawling away into the grass in pursuit. Shizuka contented herself with watching scarred youth as she bounded through the grass chasing the elusive little creatures even as her own thoughts drifted.

It was long before the others showed up tired but happy to see that Kuma was apparently well and unharmed.

"You mean to tell me she's been here chasing lightning bugs the whole time?" Natsuki huffed quietly even as she watched the Rogue do just that.

"Seems like." Natsuhiro replied. A second small blonde figure suddenly dashed by his leg as Alyssa ran off after the nearest shinning glow with a playful giggle. It wasn't long before she'd managed to capture one of the small glowing insect before letting it got a moment later. The adults watched as Kuma paused to glance over at her giggling aunt with a frown before turning back to her own quarry. They continued to watch for quite sometime after that as Kuma continually tried and failed to catch a firefly while Alyssa caught more than they could seem to keep track.

Kuma made a sudden bounding leap up onto a large rock that sat near the river. Yet when she opened her clasped hands she found that they were empty once more. Kuma frowned even as she suddenly spoke up. "_Ne_, Shizuka-_Sobo_?"

"Hai?" Shizuka answered.

"What did you call these things again? I know they're fireflies but you called them something else."

"Lightning bugs?"

"Not that, the one before that. The funny one."

"_Hotaru_."

"_Ho-ta-ru_." Kuma seemed to taste the word on her tongue. "What's that mean?"

"It's Japanese meaning _firefly_. It is also a name bearing the same meaning."

"Huh," Kuma turned her attention to an approaching Alyssa who hand a firefly crawling around on her hand. Reaching out carefully Kuma coaxed the glowing insect onto her own finger. "well that's different." Falling silent Kuma took a few moments to study the tiny creature on her hand while looking thoughtful.

"You know," Shizuka started slowly. "I've been thinking."

"About?" Yuzuru prompted calmly.

"While the name Kuma is all very well by itself, she really does need a proper name."

Natsuhiro nodded his agreement to that. "A good child needs a good name."

"And," Shizuka turned to consider her daughter and Natsuki. "since the two of you have been struggling to come up with a real name for her, why don't you allow us to give her a name?"

"One of you? Why?" Natsuki asked without concern.

"She IS our granddaughter and we've had so little too do with her and her life, why shouldn't we give her a name?" Saeko made her point.

Natsuki frowned slightly at that. "Yeah, well, she's OUR daughter we've had almost as little to do with her life as you have, so I think we have more of a right to formally name her than even you do."

"Then what do you intend to name her?" Natsuhiro gently challenged.

Natsuki looked back a Kuma to see that several other glowing fireflies had landed on the young Rogue. Some perched on her shoulders and some walked along her arms, some had even lighted onto her head. Watching the way they'd light up and go out then light up again made her think of snow oddly enough. Natsuki sucked in a breath to answer her father's question when Shizuru answered for her.

"Hotaru." Everyone looked up at her; even Kuma looked up at the sound of the name. Shizuru though had focused on her daughter. "Your name is Hotaru. Do you like that?"

"Hotaru, huh?" Kuma glanced down at the many fireflies now covering her body. "Well, could do worse I guess."

Shizuru smiled at that despite her daughter's inexact answer.

"Hmm." Saeko hummed softly. "Well, Hotaru IS a good name for a girl." Then slyly she added. "Now if only Natsuki could make an honest woman of Shizuru."

Natsuki's face immediately light up as a brightly as the many glowing fireflies while stuttering.

"Ara, you have a point Saeko-_San_." Shizuru agreed before turning to Natsuki. "When DO you intend to marry me? Ne, _Nat-su-ki?_"

"Shi-_SHIZURU!!!_" Natsuki downright howled in her embarrassment. The others all laughed at their antics.

Seems like things were going to get even more interesting from now on.

**AN**

Was everyone able to keep up with the slight flashbacks even though I was too lazy to label them as flashbacks? I kinda feel like that's actually more distracting to see the word **FLASHBACK** in my story now that I think about it, but maybe that's just how I feel. What do you guys think?

To explain a few things in case anyone gets confused, instead of MAIDs being the invention of Alyssa they are actually an older creation much like in the My-Otome anime rather than the manga.

_Tedi-Chin_ - _Tedi_ (I believe), is how "Teddy" (as in Teddy bear) is pronounced in Japanese. _Chin_ is a kind of childish and slang version of _Chan_. Ahn's calling Kuma 'Tedi' with the added suffix _Chin_ just makes it that much more childish and cutesy, so to speak. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong by the way.

_Aasaa_ - Basically it's supposed to be the Japanese romaji version of the name Arthur. Care to guess where I'm going with this?

_Baasan_ - Japanese word for "Grandmother".

_Sobo_ - Is another Japanese word for "Grandmother" (Though I'm honestly not entirely sure I'm really using it correctly so feel free to correct me if you can.).

_Ne_ - Is kind of like saying hey or asking a question in a way in Japanese I think.

_Hotaru_ - Anyone who's ever read or watched _Sailor Moon_ would recognize the name Hotaru. Unfortunately for any of the _Sailor Moon_ fans reading this, I was NOT inspired by _Sailor Moon_. I just like fireflies and the way Hotaru sounds as a name.

Review please!

By the way, there's a poll on my page and I'd like to know what you guys think if you don't mind. Also I've got a request for anyone who can properly speak Japanese, especially if you know how to speak Kyoto-ben. Would you be willing to supply me with a list of swear/curse words as well as family terms and how to use them please? I could really use the help and translation websites never seem to quite give me what I ask for, for some whacked out reason.


	16. Chapter 16

First off, I am so sooo sorry it took me so long to update! I honestly never intended to take this damn long. But I've got other stories that I was trying to work on and this is just one of the two that I actually have posted. Not to mention I have at least two to four books I am trying to write as well so I didn't have time to get around to working on this.

Secondly, thank you so much for all the reviews, subscriptions, and faves! And holy shit I think some of you guys actually put me on author alert or added me as a favorite author! You guys freakin' ROCK!!

And just to put it out there I'm going to be using Kuma and Hotaru interchangeably from now on.

Oh, and just to throw this out there in case anyone is even remotely curious or the thought just so happens to cross your mind I've found a link to a picture of Erstin in her Meister Robe from the manga. Personally I can't bring myself to read the manga but I did always wonder what Erstin's official Robe looked like. Just remove the blank spaces when you paste the link into your address bar. **Fanart link:** http:// v2gundam .deviantart .com /art /Erstin-ho-meister-robe-59009146

By the way, the poll is now closed so thank you to those of you who voted! You're input is, as always, much appreciated!

Right, enough talk; let's get on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 16

Erstin stood out on one of the many terraces overlooking the elaborate gardens of Fuka Palace, staring up into the clear night sky as her thoughts drifted without restraint. But a cool voice soon pulled her out of her musings.

"Something on your mind?"

Erstin turned to the owner of the voice to find a pair of warm eyes the color of wild honey studying her closely as Nina came to stand beside her.

"I-I'm a little worried about Kuma-Kun." Erstin admitted lowering her eyes shyly. The two of them had managed to bond with the young Rogue fairly well despite Kuma's somewhat gruff nature.

"You shouldn't be, I'm sure Natsuki and Shizuru can keep her out of trouble." Nina dismissed easily.

"I'm sure they can, but still…" Erstin trailed off and the two of them lapsed into an easy silence. They were both well familiar enough with Shizuru and Natsuki's families after all so there was no need to go on. The Krugas and the Fujiolas were extremely well known after all being two the oldest families to ever produce HiMEs and Otomes.

Nina sighed quietly and took a moment to contemplate the moon. "Even if there are problems, Kuma is Natsuki and Shizuru's daughter. I'm sure between the three of them that they should be able to keep track of her and keep out of trouble. For the most part at least."

Erstin's lips quirked into a lopsided smile at that. "I suppose you're right." She agreed after a moment.

"Good then."

Erstin watched her companion as Nina seemed to consider her with a single honey-colored eye before suddenly breaking out into an almost uncharacteristically roguish grin. Erstin thought it almost uncharacteristic only because she distinctly remember that as a child Nina had often grinned like that whenever she was feeling oddly mischievous. Even now as she felt her heart skip a beat only to start running double-time she could see the telltale glint in that amber eye.

"Ni-na?" Erstin asked with slow uncertainty.

Nina's grin only seemed to widen at that as she slowly turned to face her childhood companion.

Erstin found herself taking an instinctive step back. "Nina, what are you-?"

"You might wanna start running about now Ers." Nina advised rather charmingly.

Erstin stared at her warily while trying to ignore the almost furious flock of butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence within her stomach. "Why?" She asked slowly while taking yet another step back.

Nina merely chuckled and it was a sound that left the busty blonde weak in the knees. It sounded almost, _sensual_, in nature. "Just trust me, Ers."

Pale jades began to widen as Erstin's mind finally came to a realization causing a blush to spread across her features.

_Oh dear._

.

Midori was stumbling along reveling in the feeling of being pleasantly 'tipsy' as she liked to call it, though she was closer to 'drunk', when a pale blonde blur sudden blew by nearly knocking her over as it headed in the opposite direction with a dark navy blur hot on its heels.

"What the hell was that?" Wide incredulous green eyes turned and stared as the two blurs disappeared around a corner.

"It looked Nina and Erstin."

Midori turned to see Chie leaning against an alcove wall with an almost casual charm as she too turned her grey-brown eyes to contemplate the same corner where the two playful Otomes had disappeared.

"What the hell were they doing? They nearly ran me over!"

Aoi Senoh suddenly peaked out from her place in the alcove nestled between Chie's arms to glance down the hallway where the pair had gone. "Maybe they got into a fight?"

"Neither of them looked mad from what I could see." Midori groused not even batting at an eye at the intimate position the pair was standing in.

Chie grinned rakishly. "Hehe, or maybe they finally decided to stop beating around the bush?"

Aoi turned to give her a skeptical look. "Not everyone has '_that_' on the brain like you do Chie."

Chie glanced down at her lecherously. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really." Aoi nearly deadpanned.

"Well then, me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

Midori finally _really_ looked at them, first with disbelief then confusion. "What are you two even doing over there?" The red-head vaguely recalled that the flirtatious Otome had arrived earlier that day claiming that she was bored and disliked being left behind.

Aoi instantly broke out in a blush and held her checks while Chie grinned shamelessly and laughed outright before slinging her arm around Aoi's shoulders and heading off to find their rooms as she launched into a detail recount of some new rumor she'd managed to hear on the palace grapevine. Aoi, despite herself, was leaning into the boyish Otome, seemingly hanging on her every word.

Confused green eyes watched as Otome and maid disappeared around their own corner at the other end of the hall.

"Huh?"

.

Two weeks went by before Natsuki and Shizuru made their way back to the palace with Kuma, newly dubbed Hotaru, in tow. Shizuru looked nearly ecstatic upon arrival; Natsuki looked to be a cross between vaguely disturbed and somewhat excited.

"What's the matter with you?" Nao prodded after taking one look at Natsuki's odd expression.

Natsuki looked at the red-head blankly and blinked almost owlishly.

Kuma suddenly spoke up when it seemed that Natsuki wouldn't. "They have to get married."

"Wait…" Nina frowned slightly.

"THEY WHAT?!"

Kuma cringed at the group volume. "Calm it down will ya? I'd like to avoid goin' deaf till I'm old and decrepit or whatever."

"You're awfully calm about this." Akira observed having been attracted by the noise.

The fuzzy blonde merely shrugged. "Not much to do about it. They're only getting married after all; I don't see what all the noise is about."

"When was this decided, Kuma-Kun?" Yukino asked quietly.

"Hm, about three days ago. Natsuhiro-_Jiji_ and Yuzuru-_Sofu_ suddenly ganged up together and made Chichi here promise to marry Haha before the year is out."

"I see, what did Saeko-San and Shizuka-San have to say about it?"

"Hm, Saeko-_Baba_ and Shizuka-_Sobo_?They're practically ecstatic."

"Ah."

Mikoto had taken to poking Natsuki to try and get a reaction out the normally volatile HiME with little success. "I think Natsuki's broken."

"Three days ago you say?" Chie looked back at Kuma even as she snapped a picture of the ice princess with a random cell phone.

"Yep."

Chie hummed distractedly before breaking out into a sly grin. "So, when's the wedding?"

.

Low groaning could be heard coming from the room's first occupant where they lay upon the floor like a boneless mass of flesh.

A heavy sigh came from the room's second occupant where they sat staring out the window with their back to their unwanted companion.

All was quiet for a few blessed minutes before the groaning started up again.

_Oh for pity's sake._

Another sigh was heard before Nao finally spoke up. "Kruga, if it really bothers you so much then just go and talk to her already."

"I can't!" Natsuki moaned piteously as she threw an arm over her eyes. She couldn't believe her parents and their harebrained ideas! How dare they order her to get married before she'd even begun to figure things out? And where did Shizuka and Yuzuru get off going along with their insanity? She'd always thought that her parents were the crazy ones; she was starting to think that Shizuru's were as well.

"Why? You're both that grumy-bear's parents and you're practically married as is, this is just a matter of making it official right?"

"How are we practically married?!"

"Hello? That baby teddy of yours calls you Chichi and Haha. Everyone else pretty much treats you like a couple. You're nearly always together. Face up damnit, you're married!"

"I didn't want it to happen like this! I don't even know how I feel yet damnit!"

"Then figure something out fast, idiot! You can't put this wedding off forever or you parents will never let you live it down."

"But I hate weddings damnit!"

Lime green eyes blinked in surprise. "You _hate_ weddings?" Nao demanded suddenly rounding on Natsuki.

The blunette sighed feeling frustrated. "Argh, it's not so much that I hate weddings in and of themselves, I just hate how everyone always makes a huge deal out of it all."

"It's a wedding stupid, of course it's a huge deal!"

"That's not what meant, dumbass!"

"Then explain moron, you're not making any damn sense!"

"I hate all the big ceremonies; I don't want the whole country there to judge me and my family! I don't want to have to deal with having a huge audience there to watch me on my most important day. I don't need all that kind of pressure! I'm getting married as is! I don't need a bunch bullshit thrown at me!"

"Then what the hell are you bugging me for? Go talk to Shizuru damnit!"

"Fine, I will!"

_**SLAM!**_ _(AN: Sorry, couldn't resist the sound affects. XD)_

_Sigh._ "Idiot."

.

"Ara! Natsuki doesn't want a ceremony?" Shizuru was genuinely surprised.

Natsuki sighed. "It's not so much that I don't want to have a ceremony, I just don't want a big one with a huge audience."

"You could always have a private ceremony!" A cheerful voice suddenly chirped.

"Mikoto?" Looking up the couple had some trouble locating the cat-like HiME.

"Over here!" Turning to the sound of the voice they found the childish HiME hanging upside-down from a nearby window.

"What the hell Mikoto?" While Natsuki was used to Mikoto's antics she didn't imagine that Mai would be entirely trilled if the golden-eyed HiME got hurt.

"Ara, I thought you were out playing with Hotaru?" Shizuru knew that the two of them had disappeared some hours or so ago to 'play' as they called it. Though she suspected that they were either sparing or trying to sneak into the kitchens, they both had shockingly large appetites after all.

"Yep!" The agile HiME dropped down, easily flipping so as to land in a perfect crouch on the window ledge. "But then Akira came to play and wanted to see how good Kuma's sense of smell is so now they're playing Hide 'n' Seek."

The garnet-eyed beauty raised an elegant pale brow at that. Since when did the ninja play games? "Then shouldn't you be hiding too?"

"Well, yeah," The agile girl hopped down before trotting over to take a seat at the table with them. "but then I heard you talking about weddings and ceremonies. I thought I could help."

Two pairs of gems blinked in surprise at the level of sincerity that could be heard in that confession, not to mention the unusual loss of the child-like silliness. But then Natsuki suddenly smacked her forehead.

"Of course! Your family is in charge of a temple in the Black Valley."

"Really?" Shizuru asked to which Mikoto nodded happily. "But how did you intend to help us? Surely you're not offering to let us host our wedding in your family's temple."

"While that wouldn't be a bad thing I was thinking more along the lines of helping you decide on what kind of ceremony to have." Although they were all of them aware of just how intelligent Mikoto was beneath her feral and childish nature it still came as a shock to see her being so mature as she sat there talking with them. Gold eyes turned to address the cool beauty on her left. "You said you didn't want to have a big ceremony with an audience, right?"

Cool emeralds blinked, slightly caught off guard by the spiky-haired girl's behavior. "Um, yeah that's right."

This time the gold eyes turned to regard the red-eyed beauty on her right. "What about you Shizuru, what do you want?"

"Ara." The red eyes blinked. "Whatever makes my Natsuki happy makes me happy."

Mikoto shook her head at that. "No, no, that's not right at all."

"What do you mean?"

"A wedding is supposed to be the joining of _two_ people. It wouldn't be fair if everything was done for the sake of just _one_ of them."

"Ara, ara. I see, well then." Shizuru struck her familiar thoughtful pose. "I would like to have a ceremony but it doesn't have to be big or over the top. A small quiet one would be wonderful all the same."

Mikoto nodded at that, seemingly happy with the new answer. "Ok, well a small ceremony is easier and less of a hassle but you could also consider having a private ceremony if you'd prefer that instead."

"You mentioned that before, what's a private ceremony like?" Natsuki was quite curious by now.

"Well with a small ceremony you'd just have a few close family members and friends in attendance. But with a private ceremony it would just be the two of you and the person, or persons, performing the ceremony." Mikoto explained easily.

"Hmm." That caught Natsuki's attention.

But Shizuru frowned slightly. "What about Hotaru? Where would she be?"

Natsuki started but then thought about it. It wouldn't be so terrible to have her daughter involved on her wedding day.

"Kuma would be with everyone else. But don't worry about her, she'll be fine."

"Ara, what do you mean by that?"

"I was curious about Kuma's culture so I asked Elliot to tell me about it and then I asked Kuma. At one point we ended up talking about weddings and in the Gypsy culture all weddings are treated as a private affair while the party afterwards involves everyone. I doubt she'd mind at all if you had a private ceremony."

This got Shizuru to thinking. "What are Gypsy weddings like? We hadn't even thought to ask Hotaru about their religions."

"The funny thing about Gypsies is that they have no specific religion, only a set of beliefs and guidelines. A kind of code of honor. They also have no gods that they worship per se but they do believe in higher beings. For them the world itself and everything in it is alive and each has their own spirit."

"Animism." Shizuru guessed.

"Mm." Mikoto nodded. "For that reason all things are to be treated with respect, some creatures are even revered though never worshiped. The earth itself is regarded as their creator in a way."

"They worship the earth?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"Not so much worship as they revere it and nature as a whole in general." Mikoto shrugged. "Anyway, Kuma should be fine; it's the party afterwards that she's looking forward to the most."

Natsuki remained thoughtful; it was a bit to take in. Not a lot, just different from what she was use to. "If Gypsies have no religion, then who performs the ceremony?"

"I'm not sure," Mikoto rubbed the back of her neck and laughed a little. "I forgot to ask Kuma about that."

"Ask me what?" Kuma suddenly seemed to drop down from the ceiling, landing just behind Mikoto and tapping her on the shoulder. "Found you Neko."

Mikoto laughed. "Did you find Akira?"

Natsuki and Shizuru both glanced at the ceiling then looked at each other. Where on earth had their child dropped down from?

"Yes and no." Kuma huffed and crossed her arms.

Mikoto just gave her a confused look.

"I found where she was at least three times but she kept running away before I could see her and the fourth time she disappeared and I haven't been able to find her again yet." Then turning to her parents. "But seriously, what did you wanna ask?"

"I'm assuming that since Rogues and Gypsies share so many things as is that you also share the same religion?" Shizuru started. She was already fairly certain that Rogues shared a majority of the same culture as Gypsies, in general at the very least.

"We have no religion." Kuma replied, there by confirming Shizuru's suspicion.

"I see. Then who performs your marriage ceremonies?"

A look of sorrow briefly flitted across Kuma's features before her expression settling back to mild indifference as she looked off to the side. "Rogues don't get married, we never live long enough."

The elder three felt their own sadness at hearing that admission. They had forgotten for a time how short a Rogue's live honestly could be. Most Rogues would be lucky to live long enough to see nine or ten. Kuma herself was twelve, nearly thirteen, yet among other Rogues she would be considered an elder in her own right. It was a somber thought indeed.

Odd-colored eyes suddenly turned back to face them. "As for the Gypsies, pretty much anyone with the appropriate authority can perform a marriage ceremony."

"Who has the proper authority among Gypsies?" Natsuki asked while trying to shake off her discomfort. She'd be damned if she let Hotaru anytime before she had the chance live a long and good life.

"Mm, well fist there's the Gypsy Chief but if there is no Chief then the highest ranking Elder or Elders within the troop. If they cannot, will not, or simply are unable to perform the ceremony than anyone else with the appropriate authority can. Like some high ranking military personnel or I guess a justice of the peace. I think that Fumi-Sama or Mashiro-Sama could also perform a marriage. Maybe both."

"Both?" Shizuru questioned.

"Well I think it would balance it out better." Kuma explained. She pointed at Shizuru. "You're from Garderobe." Then turned her finger on Natsuki "And you're from Fuka. If both Mashiro and Fumi performed the ceremony together it would show their support and carry a lot more weight behind it."

Shizuru shared a glance with Natsuki; it was something to keep in mind at least. "What exactly is a Gypsy wedding ceremony like?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself," Kuma scratched her head. "but I kind of remember asking Akemi once. She said the couple exchanges vows focusing on love, trust, commitment, and loyalty. They exchange rings and sometimes light a unity candle. The ceremony itself can be performed anywhere but it's always done in private. The wedding party afterwards however is held outside and pretty much everyone is invited."

"I see."

"What's the party like?" Natsuki leaned forward a bit. She didn't much care for the ceremony itself but the party after sounded promising at least.

"The after party is always the best part." Kuma grinned. "Everyone gets together to congratulate the couple and give their best wishes. Heh, it doesn't hurt that they offer all kinds of gifts too though. There's food, music, dancing, and especially the games."

"Games?"

"Basically the games are an excuse for young Gypsy boys to prove their worth as a potential husband. The girls use them as a way to prove that they're just as skilled as the boys and the elders use it as a way of teaching the young how far they have yet to go."

"What kind of games?" Mikoto piped up finally.

"Well, among the girls there's Wink and—" Shizuru chose that moment to interrupt.

"You've mentioned that before, what is Wink?"

"Wink is an Old World game popular among female Gypsies of all ages. There are always an odd number of players, all sitting on the ground in a semi-circle in pairs of two with one sitting behind the other. The odd player out without a partner is the Wink and sits in the middle of the circle. The Wink then calls two or three players at a time by name. The players called have to try and kiss the Wink somewhere on the face while their partner tries to stop them and make sure they can't by almost any means possible."

Shizuru found this immensely amusing. "Ara, ara! What happens if someone does?"

"As soon as someone manages to kiss them the Wink shouts "Smooch!", "Kiss!", or "Game!" and the game gets reset with the winning player's partner become the new Wink while the last Wink becomes the winner's new partner and the game repeats. The rules state that you cannot stand up or crouch and you can't hurt your partner at all although you are allowed to sit on them if you want. The Wink herself cannot move while the game is in play but the other players can pull them closer. Another rule is that no one wears shoes, jewelry, and glasses so no one gets hurt by them. And if someone yells 'Stop!' then everyone stops."

"I see." Red eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement. "And you say you've played before, Hotaru?"

"A few times, yeah." Kuma shrugged.

"Were you the Wink or…?"

"I've been a Wink before and I've also been a normal player." The young Rogue frowned slightly. "…For some reason I was really popular as a Wink too."

Shizuru hid her smile behind a raised hand though her eyes were clearly dancing with mirth. Natsuki found herself smirking oddly enough while Mikoto laughed.

"What about the other games?" Natsuki asked a moment later.

"The other games have no names; they're usually some test of skill or ability. There are also various contests of strength, speed, and agility. Basically they're all just an excuse to show off and goof around."

"Sounds like fun!" Mikoto grinned.

Kuma grinned right back. "You've no idea."

"Anyway," Natsuki shook her head. "we wanted to know what you thought about the wedding."

Kuma scrunched up her face in confusion. "What I think?"

A nod.

"Who cares what I think?" Kuma shrugged. "You're the ones getting married, not me. Do what you want; I'm just looking forward to the after party."

* * *

**AN**

Sorry, looks like I couldn't leave Kuma alone for long. But look! Shiznats (well sort of)! And a mature Mikoto! And some questionable Nina/Erstin just for extra flavor!

_Jiji _– I guess you could call this the diminutive or less formal form of _Ojiisan_ which means "Grandfather", although _Jiji_ itself is more closer to "Old man" in meaning.

_Sofu_ – Also means grandfather.

_Baba_ – Similar to _Jiji_ in that it is a diminutive and less formal form of Obaasan meaning "Grandmother", both are normally considered rude but in Kuma's case they aren't.

Just to explain the difference in the way Kuma talks to or about her family. I imagine that Shizuru's family give off the feeling of tradition and elegance and that affects Kuma on a subconscious level which makes her speak to them and Shizuru much more formally. Natsuki and her family I imagine and a bit more laidback about things so Kuma just talks to them like it's no big deal. Besides I'm pretty sure that Natsuhiro would just laugh at being called _Jiji_.

For anyone who might feel confused about it I'll explain a little bit more about Wylders, Rogues, and Gypsies (feel free to skip this if you're not interested). Wylders were the first race to originally settle in the Free Nations some million years ago. Wylders, if you'll recall are divided into two distinct groups, Lowland Wylders and Highland Wylders. Highland Wylders as you know live on and around the Thunder Mountains which separates part of the Northern Territories of the Free Nations from the northern most part of Fuka and the southeastern most part of Schwartz. The Lowland Wylders live in the Wylder Lowlands which are located within the Ever Summer Plains where it is sunny all year long. Because of this the Lowland Wylders are darker in coloration than those of the Highland tribes and lack their extreme physiologies that being the Highland tribe's unique ability to change as the seasons pass. During the summer months the Highland tribesman are somewhat dark and aggressive. During winter their colors fade and may even change which allows them to blend in with their environment, they are also much calmer during this time of year as well.

Later on other people who disagreed with the monarchies of Fuka, Garderobe, and Schwartz migrated to the more savage dangerous no-mans-land and eventually declared themselves a separate country, the Free Nations. After about a thousand years those who lived in the Free Nations developed their own distinct ethnic difference that marked them as different from the natives of the three monarchies. Some time after the Syndicate was established some of the Common Freeman (as they came to refer to themselves as) eventually had children with the tribal Wylders either through rape, slavery, or honest love (not everything is always bed of roses after all). These half-breeds were called "Rogues" because they of their unusually aggressive nature which they had inherited from their tribal parents and their unusual strength and abilities. These early Rogues tended to live longer and eventually bore children themselves with other Rogues and this continued for several years, Rogues and their descendants keeping to themselves and having children together until another ethnic group appeared, the Gypsies. Gypsies are much friendlier than Rogues and far less volatile though they are no less spectacular or dangerous when need be, although the Rogues themselves are much stronger and faster than their Gypsy kindred. Modern day Rogues are still kept in slavery and many of them die before their tenth birthday either from the excessive trauma that they constantly endure or by succumbing to their extreme and dangerous lifestyle. The rest are often killed in the Rogue death fights, their Tournaments. Any Rogue older than ten is considered extremely lucky and is often regarded as an elder among Rogues. The oldest modern Rogue in current history lived to be sixteen before they were killed during a Tournament.

(Yeah, I'm done talking about them now.)

Wink – Yes, it is a real game. No, I've never played before but I would love to try even though I'd probably lose in an epic fashion. The rules are real although there are variations everywhere. The only thing I did was limit it to one gender for this fic.

And now I have a wedding to work out. Damnit, I hate doing this. It's so damn hard to get all the details worked out.

So what do you think? Good? Bad? Could be better? Please review while I work on the next chap!

PS: Does anybody know what both men and women wear in a Japanese wedding? It's hard to track down everything on my own and any help you could give me would be awesome and much appreciated.


	17. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Ok… I am officially dubbing this story a failure. I no longer have any drive to work on it and I can't find the inspiration to go on with it any more so I'm going to delete it soon.

However, if anyone REALLY likes this story and doesn't want it to just go *poof!* just say so and if enough of you speak up I'll try to make an attempt to re-work it in order to try and make it better or something.

Sorry guys,

virgo, out.


	18. Author's Note 2

Author's Note #2

Oh my gods, you guys have no idea how much you just made my day with all your replies! I wasn't going to delete this story because of any lack of reviews or anything, that wasn't my issue. I just don't really have the drive to work on it anymore. BUT since so many of you guys seem to really love this story I'll give it a shot.

To start, I'll try re-reading everything I have up so far and correct/edit whatever I think is necessary. I didn't have a beta for this story so I'm going to have to do all the beta work myself instead. I may or may not make some major changes to the story if I think it's necessary. One of the things I hope to fix is Kuma's character as I've always had problems with her, many of the Mary-Sue sort since she feels way to much like one for my liking. I hate when other authors through in an OC to one of my favorite fandoms and then use them to justify EVERYTHING they do. Kuma was never originally supposed to be Natsuki and Shizuru's child; she just somehow wound up like that before I even knew it.

I also hope to improve my characterization of the all cannon characters as well as that of my other OCs (i.e. Shizuru's parents, Natsuki's father, etc.). I had several ideas (or at least I think I did) but I don't seem to have the document containing them on this computer. My old one took a dump on me a while back but the computer repair guy was able to rescue the hard drive so I'm HOPING that one of my friends can help show me how to adapt it into an external hard drive so I can pull off all the stuff I need both for this story and for all my other story ideas.

I don't know when I'll get the chance to properly update this story, could be any time soon or it could be several days or even weeks or months from now but I promise to get it done and up. Until then, I may or may not start posting one or two new Mai-HiME/My-Otome stories up, not entirely sure. If you're curious about the possibilities check out my profile, I've got some minor information posted there.

Thanks for all your input guys, it really made my day. Seriously.

virgo, out.

**P.S.: If anyone wants to offer to beta for me feel free, I could all the help I can get.

Also? I add a poll to my profile, go help me out.


	19. Author's Note 3

Author's Note #3

Ok, I promise that this is the last author's note I'm going to post.

Anyway, I've started going through the chapters and editing them which isn't hard so much as it's just a serious b*tch to do. Seriously just try doing what I did, go through all the current online chapters and copy and paste them all into ONE document. Guess how many pages I ended up with after? 173. Seriously guys. A HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-THREE GODDANG _**PAGEEEESSSSS**_. Dear gods above this story as is, is currently the size of a small book.

For now, I'm going to leave all of the current chapters up but I will be taking them down one by one and posting all the newly edited chapters as I finish working on them.

I'm currently working my way through the first chapter and while I don't intend to change absolutely everything I'm realizing there is quite a bit that I do intend to change. I've changed Kuma's full name for one, after thinking about it I decided that the name Takehiko Kumabushi was too much so now it's just Kuma although I am keeping Hiko as well. I've also changed her backstory a bit since I've never really been satisfied with it. I'm really hoping that you guys like all the changes I make to the story and if not well… *scratches* Maybe I could work something out or whatever. Not totally sure. I'm thinking of dropping a few 'Easter eggs' in the story here and there so have fun spotting them!

I'm really glad you guys are looking forward to all this and to be honest I am too which is kind of amazing for me. =D I'll post as soon as I can guys, promise!

virgo, out.

P.S.: Sorry about before, the poll I mentioned from before **IS** official up on my profile now. So go vote!


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